Home Affairs Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber has announced sweeping digital reforms aimed at making vital services—including birth registrations—available around the clock through online platforms and bank branches nationwide.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Schreiber revealed plans to phase out reliance on physical offices, citing the current system’s inability to serve South Africa’s 62 million residents through just 342 offices and 220 mobile units.
Key Changes Coming:
Birth registrations to expand beyond tertiary hospitals
Services to become available 24/7 via online portals
Partnership with banks to grow from 30 to 1,000 service points
Priority assistance for vulnerable groups once queues ease
The announcement came in response to EFF MP Veronica Mente-Nkuna’s concerns about rural mothers and elderly citizens being turned away from overcrowded offices. Schreiber acknowledged the crisis, particularly for undocumented children, pledging a dedicated campaign to resolve their status.
“By moving routine services to digital platforms and banks, we can redirect resources to those needing hands-on help,” Schreiber explained. The transformation aims to end the era of all-day queues while maintaining security through advanced technology.
The overhaul marks one of the first major policy shifts under the Government of National Unity, potentially revolutionizing how South Africans access critical documents from identity cards to birth certificates. Implementation timelines remain unclear, but the minister emphasized urgency in “bringing Home Affairs directly to people’s homes” through digital solutions.
