Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza: Home Affairs Dept Budget Vote 2025/26, NCOP

 Honourable House Chairperson 
Minister of Home Affairs, Honourable Dr. Leon Schreiber 
Members of the Executive 
Chairperson and members of the Select Committee on Security and Justice, led by Honourable Jane Mananiso. 
Director-General of Home Affairs, Mr Tommy Makhode 
Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission, Mr Mosotho Moepya
CEO of Government Printing Works, Ms Alinah Fosi 
Commissioner of the Border Management Authority, Dr Mike Masiapato 
Fellow Country Men and Women,

The Budget we are tabling today is premised on priorities of the 7th Administration. It reflects our resolve to deliver quality services. This is what citizens expect – faster, smarter and convenient services delivered with dignity. This Budget enables us to deliver the vision of a digital first Home Affairs, which we have symbolised as Home Affairs @ home.

It paves the way for a digitally transformed government department driving inclusive economic growth and job creation, enhancing national security and delivering efficient and dignified services. This will do by leveraging on all the opportunities that Artificial Intelligence offers us. Building a digital Home Affairs aligns with priorities of the Government of National Unity (GNU), namely: inclusive economic growth and job creation, reducing poverty and cost of living and building a capable, ethical and developmental state. 

House Chairperson The civic services mandate in particular is entrenched in the Constitution of the Republic. All human transactions are based on identity. This fact demands that we run an efficient, professional, state of the art modern Department. To this end, we are working with the South African Reserve Bank to develop a robust digital identity system. This system will use facial recognition as the primary biometric modality thereby enhancing national security and reducing fraud risks. In the 2024/25 financial year, the Department achieved yet another milestone by issuing a record 3 597 856 Smart ID Cards against a target of 2.5 million. 

The Live Capture system has enabled citizens to apply for Smart ID Cards and machine-readable Passports in 212 modernised offices. At the end of 2024/25, the total number of persons issued with Smart ID Cards was over 25 million (25 102 201) since the inception of the modernisation programme. In 2025/26, Live Capture will be rolled out to an additional 10 front offices. This will improve access to Smart ID Cards while reducing issuance of green ID books. Early Registration of Birth Ensures that we maintain a clean and reliable National Population Register (NPR). 

In addition to birth registration at 323 front offices, this service is also rendered at 391 health facilities. To promote early registration, in 2025/26 we are rolling-out Online Birth Registration at 25 health facilities with maternity wards. We are automating the birth registration process at 47 health facilities. Last year, we registered 868 476 births. One of these was Albert Mashiane from Mabopane who received a birth certificate, through the Late Registration of Birth (LRB) process, for the first time in his 54 years. We registered 143 301 LRBs. 

As I am addressing here today we are soon going to head out to Polokwane Limpopo to fight the scandal of invisibility by issuing birth certificates to applicants of Late Birth Registration giving them dignity and identity from tomorrow they will be able to meaningfully interact with the world and conclude transactions and contracts giving them access to a better future. The budget we are presenting will allow us to rollout Online Birth Registration System in all 1 445 public health facilities with maternity wards to allow for birth registration on the spot. For 2025/26, the target for early registration is 667 000 births registered within 30 days. 

This year, we are looking at using the partnership with banks to expand access to services. In 2024/25, a total of 95 191 Smart ID Card requests were processed through 30 bank branches; up from 73 364 in 2023/24. We sustained service delivery improvement by using the Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS). People can book a visit to an office to apply or collect their passports and Smart ID Cards through BABS. During 2024/25, mobile offices were deployed to 10 149 service areas. 

Of these, 7 870 visits were to schools, to ensure the youth access this service ahead of their Grade 12 final exams. The target was 5 613 visits. As part of our multi-channel strategy of taking services directly to the people, mobile offices collected 247 231 Smart ID Card applications, compared to 229 416 in 2023/24. We also kept on track with offering Home Affairs services conveniently at some shopping malls. 

The year 2023 saw the opening of the first Home Affairs office at the Menlyn Shopping Centre in Pretoria. We have since expanded to Cresta Shopping Mall in Randburg, The Pavilion in Durban and Tyger Valley in Cape Town. We are on track with self-service Kiosks as part of our digital transformation journey. The Department has procured 75 of these virtual interactive self-service machines. They’ll will be rolled out to non-modernised offices. The AI-powered Kiosk will further expand our digital footprint and alleviate queues. It will provide an alternate digital selfservice channel through which citizens can apply for and collect Smart ID Cards and Passports. 

It will also provide citizens with reprints of birth/death/marriage certificates. The Department is making headway in its implementation of a multi-channel service delivery strategy, blending physical and digital access, to ensure citizen empowerment and inclusivity, economic development and national security. The new purpose-built state-of-the-art Home Affairs Office in Mokopane, Limpopo, is an example it has brought a smile to many of our people in the province. They experienced improved service, with dignity and respect.

Another important area is the Digitisation of Civic Records. This Presidential Project is a fundamental core in the Home Affairs digital transformation journey. We have embarked on a journey to convert manual, paper-based files into digital records that are easily accessible by the touch of a button. This will mean that we are able to effect amendments almost instantly, compared to the eight weeks it currently takes. Over 49 million civic records have been digitised since 2023. The Project has also created jobs for young graduates. 

The target for 2025/26 is to digitise 25 million civic records. House Chairperson we continue with our efforts to lend a helping hand to communities seeking to rebuild their lives following natural disasters by way of replacement of enabling documents free of charge. Two weeks ago, I was in Butterworth and Mthatha with an Inter-Governmental team of Deputy Ministers. In Mthatha, the Department processed 463 applications and 286 in Butterworth, respectively. 

Our mobile offices remain in the affected areas. We’ll use these mobile offices to deliver the documents, meaning that these communities do not need to come to our offices; again, bringing Home Affairs closer to home. Early this year, we undertook a Fire Disaster Outreach Programme, where we assisted about 488 fire victims in Cape Town, following the natural disaster. Home Affairs plays a role in promoting democracy. In the period under review, we provided support to the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel whose mandate was to investigate, consult and make recommendations on reforms of the South African electoral system. 

The Panel visited each province twice to ensure that it gave a wider spectrum of the community a voice in the reforms. Thus, promoting public participation. The Panel is expected to present its report in this quarter. House Chairperson, our digital transformation journey will not amount to much if we do not take our officials along. This budget has enabled us to set aside R4 Million towards training of employees. In the 25/26 financial year, our training focus is largely on a Digital Literacy Programme for all staff. It will be rolled out over three consecutive financial years from 2025 to 2028. We will continue fighting the scourge of Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBV&F) wherever it rears its ugly head.

The Department will allocate R896 000 towards raising awareness on GBV&F within the department. An Implementation Plan is in place for promoting gender equality and rights of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. 

In Conclusion I would like to express sincere gratitude to the Chairperson and Members of the Select Committee on Security and Justice for support and dynamic oversight. I salute the employees and the management team at Home Affairs under the leadership of Director-General Tommy Makhode for the hard work and dedication in the time of extraordinary changes.

I thank my colleague Dr Leon Schreiber for his leadership. Together we can drive digital transformation in the spirit of the Government of National Unity. Lastly, we commit to deliver on all our priorities which are shaped by our understanding of history and resistance to all forms of political oppression and economic exploitation. We will never allow ourselves to grow despondent in the patriotic quest to restore dignity to all South Africans, regardless of race, gender or class.

I Thank You.

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