Minister Gigaba must account on contradictory statements on Smart ID fraud 

Minister Malusi Gigaba continues to deny that there is no breach of security within the Smart ID Card system. This is despite a statement previously made by the Gauteng Provincial Manager of Home Affairs, stating that there are between 50 and 60 cases of fraud within the system. 

Minister Gigaba must therefore be summoned before Parliament to either confirm or deny the deficiencies in this system once and for all. If there is evidence of exploitation with these Smart ID’s, the Minister must initiate a full-scale investigation into the problems so that the system can be secured properly.

Gauteng’s Provincial Manager asserts that “The kind of fraud that has been picked up in those offices are solely fraudulent South African ID accusations... What we have picked up also is cases... (inherited) in our smart cards. We still see some people could be identified as non-South Africans. What we have managed to receive is close to 60 of those cases. Those cases have been referred to our counter corruption to investigate.” (follow this link to 1.44mins) 

Considering these two contradictory reports, the DA will write to the Chairperson of the Home Affairs Committee, Mr B L Mashile, to ask that Minister Gigaba appear before the of the Committee and confirm that these Smart ID Cards are not vulnerable to fraud and that the Gauteng Manager for Home Affairs is not being truthful.

South Africans need to know that they can entrust personal information to the Department of Home Affairs and that its systems are secure and not susceptible to infiltration.

If Minister Gigaba is indeed telling the truth, he must account to the South African public as we have a right to know whether this system is secure and incorruptible. 

Issued by Haniff Hoosen, DA Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, 26 October 2015