Banks left out of ID card plan
2007-02-16 18:06
Cape Town - South Africans would not be able to use the department of home affairs' proposed smart identity card to draw money from automated teller machines as earlier suggested, home affairs minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Friday.
Briefing the media at parliament, Mapisa-Nqakula said her department has resolved to scrap the idea of loading banking details into the new identity cards.
"The process of negotiating with the banks has delayed the launch of the new ID cards by two years, and to avoid any further delays we have decided to go it alone," she said.
Corrupt home affairs officials working with crime syndicates - and the fact that the current barcoded ID book is easy to forge - have provided thousands of illegal immigrants with South African ID books.
Mapisa-Nqakula said this was one of the main reason her department would go ahead without the banks in a bid to hasten the launch of new IDs.
"There is an urgent need for us to restore credibility in our ID books as well as the population register. Unlike the bar-coded ID, the new card won't be easy to forge," she said, adding that the card would be launched soon.
The card, which is part of the new Home Affairs National Identity System (Hanis), will make it easier for police and home affairs officials to clamp down on illegal immigrants, Mapisa-Nqakula said.
"In an effort to curb the growth of illegal migration, the department... is going to appoint Airline Liaison Officers at all major airports around the world," the minister said.
- SAPA