04 February 2025

In the third quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year between 1 October and 31 December 2024, the Department of Home Affairs set a new record for the number of Smart IDs issued, with nearly one million South Africans obtaining this secure enabling document during those three months. This growth in demand for Smart IDs is part of a major and sustained increase in the uptake of Smart IDs over the past two quarters. As a result, over the past six months, the Department’s performance has substantially exceeded the quarterly targets contained in the 2024/2025 Annual Performance Plan (APP).

Between 1 October and 31 December 2024, 970 543 Smart IDs were issued, compared to a quarterly target of 575 000. This represents overperformance of 69%. Similarly, between 1 July and 30 September 2024, 895 125 Smart IDs were issued against a target of 625 000, representing overperformance of 43%.

The Department’s annual target for the 2024/2025 financial year is to issue 2.5 million Smart IDs, which is in line with the total number of IDs issued during each of the past three financial years. However, at the current trajectory, Home Affairs is likely to exceed this annual target by over one million, as the Department is now on track to issue a record-breaking 3.6 million Smart IDs during 2024/2025. This is, by some margin, the strongest performance since Smart IDs were first introduced a decade ago.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said: “The recent sustained growth in the uptake of Smart IDs demonstrates growing public confidence in our reform agenda, expressed through our five-year vision to deliver Home Affairs @ home. This marks the first time ever that Home Affairs has come close to delivering one million Smart IDs in a single quarter, and I want to congratulate our teams working in front offices, banks, malls and at Government Printing Works for handling this significantly increased demand.”

Minister Schreiber added: “As a result of this growing public confidence in the trajectory of Home Affairs, more South Africans than ever before are obtaining the critical enabling documents they require to open bank accounts, apply for jobs and qualify for government services. This progress drives economic and social inclusion, and demonstrates our commitment to delivering dignity for all. This overperformance also inspires us to work even harder to ensure that all qualifying persons are able to obtain Smart IDs before the end of calendar year 2025.”

For media enquiries, please contact:
Siya Qoza, Cell number: 082 898 1657
Duwayne Esau – Spokesperson for the Minister, Cell number: 077 606 9702

ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS