Cape Town – The Department of Home Affairs is set to officially launch a new, upgraded real-time identity verification system on 1 July, aimed at drastically reducing system failures and restoring stability to South Africa’s National Population Register (NPR).
Announcing the move on social media this week, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber confirmed that the revamped system has already been tested and has shown a failure rate of less than 1% – a sharp improvement from the current system, which fails in more than half of all verification attempts.
“The good news is that we have already tested a vastly-improved system that reduces the failure rate to below 1%,” Schreiber said.
“We are ready to roll it out to all users of the verification system from 1 July.”
The real-time verification service is widely used by banks, financial institutions and government departments to confirm individuals’ identities against the NPR.
The current system’s poor performance has contributed to repeated “system offline” problems at Home Affairs offices, delaying services and affecting critical operations such as social grant payments and passport processing.
🇿🇦 In rebuilding the National Population Register (NPR), Home Affairs is putting the people over shameless profiteering.
I want to thank various stakeholders – from banks and financial service companies to Cosatu – that have recognised the urgent need to fix the NPR. The service…
— Leon Schreiber (@Leon_Schreib) June 24, 2025
Schreiber said the updated system is part of broader efforts to rebuild the integrity of the NPR, reduce reliance on outdated technology, and prevent abuse of the system by corporate users who have historically paid minimal fees for access.
As part of the rollout, Home Affairs is introducing a new pricing structure:
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R10 for real-time identity verifications
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R1 for off-peak verifications
This pricing model is designed to manage high-volume usage and ensure the sustainability of the new system.
Schreiber noted that most stakeholders – including banks, financial service providers, and organised labour – support the move and have agreed to shift a significant portion of their verifications to the more affordable off-peak option.
“This is also exactly what Home Affairs wants,” he said.
“Because the real-time channel is constantly being overwhelmed by users that have become used to paying almost nothing for it, taking the whole system offline in the process.”
The minister warned that resistance from certain corporate users could undermine the department’s efforts to stabilise the NPR, but stressed that the new system will go ahead regardless.
“The principle at stake here is simple: the NPR verification service must not be funded off the backs of struggling South Africans,” Schreiber said.
The launch of the new system comes as part of the department’s wider digital reform strategy, including the rollout of digital ID documents, e-passports, and automated visa services by 2030.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
