DHA dismisses ID book termination deadline messages
Your green barcoded ID books are not about to expire.
That is according to the Department of Home Affairs.
The department held an urgent media briefing in Pretoria earlier where it, again, poured cold water on rumours that green barcoded ID books would terminate at the end of March.
Director General Mkuseli Apleni dismissed the messages shared on social media as being false.
Apleni said the false rumours created panic among communities towards the end of last year, with many people rushing to Home Affairs offices to apply for their smart ID cards.
The same false messages are circulating on social media again.
Apleni is urging all South Africans to ignore them.
Commenting specifically on KwaZulu-Natal, Apleni says the province is barely able to cope with normal 'everyday' numbers at Home Affairs offices.
He says the panic created by the hoax has put staff and infrastructure under even more pressure.
Home Affairs says 38-million people were in possession of green barcoded ID books when the smart ID card was first rolled out in 2013.
Apleni told reporters the department only reached the 7-million smart ID card milestone last year.
He says this makes it obvious that messages on the imminent termination of the ID book in March are fake.
Only 184 out of 411 Home Affairs offices are capable of processing applications for smart ID cards. 227 branches still need to be modernised.
The department says people must continue to apply for their smart ID cards, without fear that the green barcoded ID book will cease to exist from the 31st of March.
Officials say they will continue to communicate details around Home Affairs' programmes, processes and timelines.
The department held an urgent media briefing in Pretoria earlier where it, again, poured cold water on rumours that green barcoded ID books would terminate at the end of March.
Director General Mkuseli Apleni dismissed the messages shared on social media as being false.
Apleni said the false rumours created panic among communities towards the end of last year, with many people rushing to Home Affairs offices to apply for their smart ID cards.
The same false messages are circulating on social media again.
Apleni is urging all South Africans to ignore them.
Commenting specifically on KwaZulu-Natal, Apleni says the province is barely able to cope with normal 'everyday' numbers at Home Affairs offices.
He says the panic created by the hoax has put staff and infrastructure under even more pressure.
Home Affairs says 38-million people were in possession of green barcoded ID books when the smart ID card was first rolled out in 2013.
Apleni told reporters the department only reached the 7-million smart ID card milestone last year.
He says this makes it obvious that messages on the imminent termination of the ID book in March are fake.
Only 184 out of 411 Home Affairs offices are capable of processing applications for smart ID cards. 227 branches still need to be modernised.
The department says people must continue to apply for their smart ID cards, without fear that the green barcoded ID book will cease to exist from the 31st of March.
Officials say they will continue to communicate details around Home Affairs' programmes, processes and timelines.