South Africa is moving toward a fully digital identity system, signalling the end of an era for the iconic green ID book.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has confirmed that the department aims to have a complete digital ID system in place by the 2029 general elections, with plans to stop producing green ID books as early as 2026.
While no firm date has been set to officially retire the green ID book, Schreiber stressed that this can only happen once all South Africans have access to the new Smart IDs.
The push to…
Public Engagement: Newspapers engage with the public through letters to the
editor, opinion pieces, and community reporting.

Daffy Girl
Fun South African Fact: Can you think of any other place in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived on the same street? Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu had houses on Vilakazi Street in Soweto.
Sprinkle Lovenuts
Elon Musk was born in South Africa, and made an electric car. What if he had been born in Madagascar?
He would have made a gas car