The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has identified a glitch in the technology it uses to process applications for smart ID cards and passports. This glitch has led to our offices experiencing service interruptions over the past two weeks in the delivery of the two services. There are 194 of the 412 offices nationwide using this technology to take and issue applications for smart ID cards and passports. The interruptions are such that offices operate intermittently.

 

The service interruptions have seen the DHA processing as low as 5 000 applications a day compared to the daily capacity of 20 000. The DHA was able to process 16 000 applications only in two days in the past two weeks.

 

A team of IT specialists comprising DHA and its service providers are hard at work trying to restore the capability of the system.

 

The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has authorised front offices to issue passports which are already in offices to citizens who want to collect them, manually. However, passport applications cannot be taken manually. Smart ID cards can’t be issued manually.

 

All other services are not impacted by the interruptions. Citizens can visit our offices for birth, marriage and death certificates, as well as amendment of documents.

 

The Department expresses its deepest apologies to members of the public for the inconvenience and appeals for patience while the system is being stabilised as a matter of urgency.