South Africans without this document face a November deadline
PRETORIA — South Africans who still need an identity document have less than two months to get their affairs in order before the local government elections, with Home Affairs warning voters not to leave applications, replacements or collections until the last minute.
The local government elections are scheduled for 4 November 2026, putting fresh urgency behind the Department of Home Affairs’ drive to get identity documents into the hands of eligible voters. A valid identity document is required to participate in the election, meaning South Africans who have lost or damaged their IDs, or who have applied for documents but have not collected them, now face a shrinking window in which to resolve the problem.
“A valid ID holds the key to democratic participation in the upcoming elections,” Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said.
The department’s warning comes as it rapidly expands the places where South Africans can access Smart ID services. More than 450 participating bank branches now offer digitalised Smart ID services, a substantial increase from just 167 branches in May.
That expansion matters because access to identity documents has traditionally meant a trip to a Home Affairs office, often accompanied by queues and travel. The banking rollout is intended to move more of these services into places South Africans already use and reduce dependence on the department’s physical office network.
The scale of the expansion has accelerated considerably during 2026. In May, Schreiber told Parliament that 167 bank branches were offering Smart ID replacement services after the new digital banking model had been operating for about eight weeks. At the time, 118,434 applications had already been processed through the system.
By early August, the network had grown to 372 participating bank branches and more than half a million South Africans had applied for Smart IDs through the banking partnership. Home Affairs now says the number has passed 450 branches.
The department ultimately wants Smart ID replacement services available through at least 750 bank branches by the end of 2026, which would significantly change how South Africans access one of the government’s most important documents.
For the immediate election deadline, however, Home Affairs is particularly concerned about people who still need to replace lost or damaged documents and those who have completed applications but have not collected their IDs.
“Citizens who still need to replace a lost or damaged identity document ahead of the elections are urged to make use of Home Affairs offices or the more than 450 participating bank branches to acquire their documents and not wait until the last minute,” the department said.
South Africans can use the Home Affairs online service to locate participating bank branches offering Smart ID services.
The election push is also taking place against a much larger attempt to move South Africans away from the green barcoded ID book. Home Affairs said earlier this year that an estimated 16 million people were still using green ID books, which the department has identified as particularly vulnerable to fraud and identity theft.
Schreiber has previously described the green ID book as the most defrauded document on the African continent and said moving people onto biometric Smart IDs forms part of the department’s strategy to reduce identity fraud.
For voters who already have valid identification, there is nothing additional to resolve simply because an election is approaching. Home Affairs is instead asking them to check whether people around them may still need assistance.
The department has called on South Africans to encourage relatives, friends and colleagues who still need Smart IDs to apply and, importantly, for those whose documents are already waiting at Home Affairs to collect them.
With election day set for 4 November, the message from Home Affairs is no longer simply about modernising South Africa’s identity system. For people who still do not have the documents they need, it has become a deadline.
Anyone with additional information can contact the press desk at press@townpress.co.za.