Media Alert: Premier Zille to Apply for New Smart ID Card

On Tuesday, 29 October 2013, Premier Helen Zille will apply for a new smart ID card at the Department of Home Affairs as part of efforts to increase public awareness about the roll-out of the new high-security identity cards that were officially launched on Mandela Day (18 July) this year.

The new cards include advanced security features such as holograms, laser engraving, fingerprint biometrics and biographic data embedded in the card chip to make identity theft harder.

It is expected that it will take between six to eight years before all South Africans have smart ID cards, with smart IDs being issued free of charge to 16-year-old first-time applicants.

Date: 29 October 2013
Venue: Department of Home Affairs, Fair Cape Building, 56 Barrack Street