Home Affairs: Reports on Smart ID fraud `misleading`

Source: RDM News Wire, 21/10/2015

Home Affairs on Wednesday noted with concern "misleading reports"
alleging "minister Malusi Gigaba had intentionally misled the nation
by implying that no fraud or corruption had been detected during the
roll-out of the smart ID card".


These‚ a statement said‚ "deliberately intend to misrepresent a
presentation made to the Home Affairs Parliamentary Committee by
Gauteng provincial manager‚ Albert Matsaung".


On Monday‚ RDM News Wire quoted the Democratic Alliance`s Haniff
Hoosen as saying that either Gigaba "is lying‚ or he is in absolute
denial that the new smart ID system is corruptible and needs to be
improved".


Hoosen said Gigaba`s contention that "no corruption cases have been
detected during the roll-out of the smart ID card process" had been
contradicted by Matsuang‚ who told MPs that there "were more than 60
cases of fraud and corruption" connected to the new card
system.


Home Affairs said on Wednesday that Matsaung "clarified that the
fraudulent instances he had alluded to had occurred during
applications for green barcoded identity documents and not during
applications for Smart ID cards".


The statement said the Gauteng department had "implemented a strategy
within its smart card offices of confirmation before going through the
smart card process and verification prior to issuance".


"This would apply‚ in particular‚ to cases where the applicant is
suspected to be a non-South African‚" it added.


"Since the implementation of the strategy‚ various offices identified
suspected cases where green barcoded IDs that had been fraudulently
acquired were used to apply for smart ID cards.


"However‚ due to the tightened security measures‚ which include the
submission of biometrics during the collection phase‚ the applicants
failed to collect their documents upon request to appear at offices of
application."


It went on to list the offices that had registered suspected cases:
- Byron`s Place in Pretoria retrieved one card where the applicant
failed to confirm her nationality and thus the document could not be
issued;


- Harrison Street in Johannesburg handed over 64 cases of suspected
fraud for investigation; and
- Vanderbjilpark identified two smart ID card applications "by a
Zimbabwean couple who failed to fulfil set security
requirements".


"Home Affairs maintains its initial stance that the introduction of
the smart ID card remains the best solution to challenges that were
experienced previously through the manipulation of the application
processes for the green barcoded ID book.