Paper-heavy services, ink-stained forms, and long queues when accessing government services are fast becoming a thing of the past. From IDs to matric certificates, and driver’s licences to Master’s Office services, South Africa is taking a technological leap in public services, with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) already blazing a digital trail in enhancing service delivery and security.

Bringing Government within Digital Reach of Citizens

10 March 2026 marked another major step in that transformation journey when Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber confirmed that branches of both Capitec Bank and Standard Bank have begun rolling out Home Affairs services directly within their branches.

First National Bank is currently in the final phase of testing, and other banks that joined the Digital Partnership last year are at varying stages of development, he said.

Only a few weeks ago, the Minister noted: “In 2026, the best is about to come.”

It is clearly happening.

The roll-out to bank branches is a practical and welcome breakthrough for South Africans. Clients visiting participating branches can now complete Smart ID card applications, including converting from the older green ID book, in as little as five to ten minutes. 

Minister Schreiber said initially it will involve 17 bank branches nationwide, with plans to expand to dozens more locations in the coming weeks and months. In a year from now, the department looks forward to the service being available at bank branches across all corners of South Africa.

This followed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address announcement in February that a broad range of government services will soon be made available on the MyMzansi platform – ranging from digitising driver’s licenses and matric certificates, to police statements which will be filled out online and social grant eligibility tested remotely – all without visiting a government office or completing manual forms.

South Africa is Climbing the e-Government Ladder

The use of technology to streamline public services, also referred to as e-government, has become a global trend as countries adopt new systems to improve efficiency, security and transparency.

According to Smart Cities World, delivering services to citizens through online government platforms is now a rapidly expanding feature of modern governance. Nearly 69% of United Nations member states operate at a high or very high level of technological public service delivery.

Data released after the international Smart City Expo 2025 shows that countries such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Japan currently lead the global rankings in e-government, with overall scores ranging between 95.3% and 88.8% for a variety of online public services.

South Africa ranks 18th globally, scoring 66.8% as of April 2025, but experts say the ongoing digital reforms is expected to advance the country’s standing.

Home Affairs’ ‘Showpiece Reform’ is Here

During the SONA debate Minister Schreiber was unequivocal: the past 20 months of modernising the DHA were only the foundation.

With core biometric systems already live through the citizenship portal – enabling South Africans who were unconstitutionally deprived of their citizenship to verify and confirm reinstatement online through facial recognition in under an hour – the department is now building the frontend user interface.

Through Digital ID, South Africans will be able to access their enabling documents on their mobile phones, as well as remotely verify their identities using secure facial recognition.

Another major development is the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system launched last year. Described by the department as a breakthrough in border management, it enables tourists from visa-required countries to apply for travel authorisation online, with applications processed within 24 hours. 

The department is further working with private-sector partners to rebuild six of South Africa’s busiest land border posts, while continuing the accelerated replacement of the green ID book. Nearly 18 million South Africans still use this old document, leaving them vulnerable to fraud.

Under Minister Schreiber’s leadership, the delivery of Smart ID cards reached its highest ever level, with more cards delivered in 2025 than any previous year.

So far in 2026, the DHA has already opened numerous new Home Affairs offices and service centres, and expanded overseas service centres to 25 global cities, allowing South Africans abroad to receive passports within weeks.

This expansion now covers key cities across Canada, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, and China.

From Bureaucratic Bottleneck to Digital Reform Leader

Jaco Brits, Head of Immigration at Xpatweb, says these reforms are helping to create a more enabling environment for economic growth by positioning Home Affairs as a facilitator of investment, tourism and job creation. “This shift aligns directly with Minister Schreiber’s vision for the department.”

In a 2025 interview, the Minister noted: “We are taking a department that has long been maligned as almost the symbol of government inefficiency and demonstrating that things can get better when we really focus on reform and embrace digital transformation.”

Set against President Ramaphosa’s call in SONA to build a capable, ethical and developmental state, the Department’s digital drive represents more than modernisation. It signals a shift from bureaucracy to responsiveness, from paper to platform, and from inefficiency to impact.

Brits says: “To quote the President’s words, this is a significant step toward the work that must be undertaken together to build a South Africa that is more prosperous, inclusive, peaceful, united and ultimately more equal.’ ”