South Africa issue deadline to end green ID booklet wey go address illegal immigration

Di South Africa govment don announce di deadline date for di production of green identity booklet wey bi di official identity document for di kontri.

On Thursday, Leon Schreiber wey be di Home Affairs Minister for South Africa, announce say di govment go stop di production of di green ID book by 31 March 2027, adding say "di continued use of di Green ID Book dey irreconcilable wit di functioning of modern society".

Howeva, pipo go still fit dey use am until 31 March 2028 wen di document no longer go dey acceptable.

"On 31 March 2028, di Green ID book go officially stop to dey recognised as valid form of identification in terms of section 25(1)(b) of di Identification Act," di Minister tok.

Dis na one of di many efforts wey di South African govment dey put in place to tackle di challenge of illegal migration and identity theft for di kontri.

Schreiber tok say research don show say di green ID booklet na one of di fraud-prone documents for African sake of say e dey paper-based and e require manual passport photograph wey pesin fit easily comot and change.

Wetin be di deadline for South Africa green ID booklet

By 31 March 2027, "di machines wey dey produce dis booklet go dey permanently shut down and decommissioned", Schreiber tok.

Rememba say for June dis year, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announce say govment go stop di use of di green ID books "wey don enable identity theft by undocumented immigrants and criminal syndicates".

Wen di Home Affairs minister dey tok, e say di govment no go change dia mind for di policy to stop di use of di green ID book.

Di Home Affairs Minister tok say govment go also give access to naturalised South African citizens, foreigners wey get permanent residency permit and South Africans wey dey live abroad.

Di goal na to make sure say evri pesin fit access di new Smart ID wey dey more secure.

According to am, e say eligible pesins fit apply for di Home Affairs website, but dem go also need to visit any of dia offices physically to do dia biometric capturing.

According to govment figures, about 14.7 million South African citizens and permanent residents still dey use di green ID book, and so oga Schreiber tok say commercial banks don also get authorisation to register dia customers for di new smart ID.

"I dey call on all South Africans wey still get only di Green ID book to help combat abuses such as identity theft, financial fraud and illegal immigration to immediately to switch to di Smart ID," di Minister tok.

About 515 bank branches dey now offer walk-in smart ID replacements services, Schreiber tok, you no need any prior appointment, and di application process dey take just about five minutes.

"Ova di past six months, we alreadi see dramatic increase in replacement rates sake of our digital partnership. As a result, di number of pipo wey dia only form of identification na Green ID book don alreadi fall from 16 million to 14.7 million."

"We must now accelerate dis progress to finally eliminate dis source of fuel for identity theft and illegal immigration," Home Affairs minister tok.

More dan 822,000 pipo don register using di bank services since dem launch am for March dis year.

By di end of 2026 e go dey available for more dan one thousand service points, di home Affairs Minister tok.

Identity theft na one of di ogbonge factors wey dey drive illegal immigration for South Africa, according to di kontri govment.

Violent protests don break out across di kontri as some citizens decide to take di mata into dia hands and issue deadline for illegal immigrants to leave di kontri or face attacks.

Di latest deadline by di group wey call diasef ' March and March' na on 30 September 2026, and protesters also come out for di street to call for an end to illegal migration, only say dis time, di protest also include calls for end to gender-based violence wey don dey on di increase in di kontri.

One of di most popular case of alleged identity theft na di one involving Chidimma Adetshina, one South-African Nigerian model wey dey now face immigration-related charges.

Dem strip Adetshina of her South African identity and travel documents for 2024 afta allegations say her mother, Anabela Rungo, who get roots for Mozambique, bin commit identity fraud to gain South African nationality.

But Adetshina maintain say dem born her for South Africa, and even though dat one no make her automatic citizen, she say she don apply tru di proper legal channels to determine her status and citizenship.

Di mata still dey go on now and di next court date na by February 2027.

Why South Africa block IDs bifor

For June 2026, South Africa block IDs of citizens, issue deadline to defend am, sake of identity fraud by some nationals and migrants.

South Africa Department of Home Affairs say dem block di identity documents of some citizens, and say make dem go present demsefs to officials.

Dem say dem begin investigate di validity of some identity documents wey make dem block di IDs.

South Africa say if dose wey dey affected by di blocked IDs no take action, e fit lead to "possible permanent cancellation".

na since dat time SA don begin dey tok about di green ID booklet and di Smart IDs for citizens and dose wey dey live for South Africa.