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EXPLAINER | Why many South Africans still use the green ID book instead of smartcards

Sowetan · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 424 words · By Michelle Banda
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What to know about EXPLAINER

Story audio is generated using AI The scrapping of the green ID book is coming soon as home affairs deals with challenges of those living abroad and some of their offices not having capacity.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Story audio is generated using AI The scrapping of the green ID book is coming soon as home affairs deals with challenges of those living abroad and some of their offices not having capacity.

Why it matters

Conversations on scrapping the green ID book have come to the fore again after President Cyril Ramaphosa claimed during an address on Sunday that these have been exploited by undocumented foreigners for identity theft and criminal activities.

Common ground

After the announcement, this is what you need to know: According to deputy director-general for operations at home affairs Thulani Mavuso, they have not been able to scrap the green ID book because some South Africans living abroad still rely on it when…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2026-06-08-explainer-why-many-south-africans-stil…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 3
info Single Source 3
schedule Pending 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 2
schedule
Claim 1: “South Africans that they can walk into some banks like FNB, Capitec and Standard Bank to apply for smart ID cards”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 2: “The number of people with smartcards now stands at 29-million.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the current number of smartcard holders is 29 million.
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Claim 3: “The scrapping of the green ID book is coming soon”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (eNCA, and other news reports) confirm that the South African government is phasing out green ID books in favor of Smart ID cards.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. Its nine provinces are bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles) of coastline that stre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international soccer and is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for soccer in South Africa. Nicknam…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_soccer_t…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — White South Africans are South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_South_Africans
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 4: “their goal of ensuring that 38-million people have smartcards before scrapping the green ID books”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the specific goal of 38 million people having smartcards.
verified
Claim 5: “the location of some home affairs offices in SA that don’t have smart card capability adds to the continued use of the green book”
VERIFIED
Minister Leon Schreiber is quoted in web search results stating that some Home Affairs offices still lack the capability to issue Smart ID cards, contributing to the continued use of green books.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — According to the 2022 census, the population of South Africa is about 62 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions, with a majority being Black Africans. The South African …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_South_Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Education in South Africa is governed by two national departments, namely the Department of Basic Education (DBE), which is responsible for primary and secondary schools, and the Department of Higher …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_South_Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A South African passport (also colloquially referred to as the 'Green Mamba' or the 'Biltong Book' by South Africans) is a travel document issued to citizens of South Africa for the purpose of interna…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_passport
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 6: “Last year, we did over four million smart ID cards.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 7: “There were instances where we found some green book IDs existed without a birth record.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries on ID numbers and White Papers, but does not specifically confirm the Department of Home Affairs found green books without birth records.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A department level central body under the Ministry of Home Affairs named National ID ... are issued without indication to date of birth. Personal code starts ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_identification_number
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Only the DHA can affirm a person's identity, issue a South African identity document or passport, or register a birth, death or marriage. No other department ...
https://www.dha.gov.za/images/PDFs/UPDATEDdhawhitepaper2019.…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Thus, the employer identification number ( EIN ) and the SSN were created. Today we take the 9-digit composition of the SSN as a given, but in 1935 and 1936 ...
https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v69n2/v69n2p55.html
info
Claim 8: “Other cases dating to the 90s: an ID number generated on the book and birth record not matching.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists of dictionary definitions for the word 'there', which is completely irrelevant to the factual claim about ID numbers from the 90s.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — THERE definition: 1. (to, at, or in) that place: 2. to arrive somewhere: 3. to succeed: . Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/there
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jul 16, 2026 · The meaning of THERE is in or at that place —often used interjectionally. How to use there in a sentence. There vs. <span class ...
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/there
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Aug 17, 2022 · The trio of their, there, and they’re can flummox writers of all levels. It’s confusing; they are homophones, meaning they have the same pronunciation (sound) but differ in meaning and …
https://www.dictionary.com/articles/their-vs-there-vs-theyre
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Claim 9: “some South Africans living abroad still rely on it when applying through missions”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including IOL and South Africa Today, mention that South Africans living abroad (expatriates) continue to rely on green IDs or apply for them via diplomatic missions.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Apartheid ( ə-PART-(h)yte, especially South African English: ə-PART-(h)ayt, Afrikaans: [aˈpart(ɦ)əit] ; transl. "separateness", lit. 'aparthood') was a system of institutionalised racial segregation …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chinese South Africans (traditional Chinese: 華裔南非人; simplified Chinese: 华裔南非人) are Overseas Chinese who reside in South Africa, including those whose ancestors came to South Africa in the early 20th c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_South_Africans
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South African smart identity card – known as a Smart ID Card – replaces the old green bar-coded identity book. Both are identity documents that serve as proof of a person's identity. This proof in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_identity_card
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 10: “President Cyril Ramaphosa claimed during an address on Sunday that these have been exploited by undocumented foreigners for identity theft and criminal activities.”
VERIFIED
A specific web result (TikTok/Video transcript of President Ramaphosa) directly attributes the statement to him, explaining that green ID books enabled identity theft by undocumented immigrants.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2020 Phala Phala Robbery or Cyril Ramaphosa Farm Burglary or Farmgate Scandal was a burglary of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's private Phala Phala game farm near Bela-Bela, Limpopo, Sou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Phala_Phala_Robbery
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) is the political party's highest decision-making body in between its party conferences. It serves as the primary executive…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Executive_Committee_o…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article is about the timeline of events during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa which was part of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that was first recorded in South Africa …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_COVID-19_pande…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 11: “some permanent residents are currently not eligible for smart ID cards”
CORROBORATED
South Africa Today and other web results explicitly state that permanent residents were previously ineligible for smart ID cards, though this is now changing (effective May 12, 2025).
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Apartheid ( ə-PART-(h)yte, especially South African English: ə-PART-(h)ayt, Afrikaans: [aˈpart(ɦ)əit] ; transl. "separateness", lit. 'aparthood') was a system of institutionalised racial segregation …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Crime in South Africa includes all violent and non-violent crimes that take place in the country of South Africa, or otherwise within its jurisdiction. When compared to other countries, South Africa h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — From the 1960s to the 1990s, South Africa pursued research into weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons under the apartheid government. South Africa is one of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_and_weapons_of_ma…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 12: “By the end of the year, we will have 750 branches where the footprint will be expanded.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While evidence confirms a partnership with banks (like Absa) to expand services, the specific number '750 branches' by the end of the year is not explicitly confirmed in the provided evidence snippets.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 7 days ago ... This move will bring Smart ID and Passport services to hundreds more bank branches nationwide. Minister Leon Schreiber says the reform will also ...
https://www.facebook.com/GovernmentZA/posts/home-affairs-has…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 7 days ago ... Absa has joined Home Affairs' Digital Partnership, allowing South Africans to apply for smart ID cards at participating branches as the service ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/Da20f43oEuA/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 13 hours ago ... As of mid-July 2026, it offered the services at 159 bank branches, representing 53% of all bank branches in South Africa that offer digital ...
https://newsday.co.za/business/23153/good-news-for-south-afr…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.