The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has inked memoranda of understanding with three major South African banks to allow citizens to apply for the new smart identification (ID) cards at their respective banks from early next year.

The DHA, along with Standard Bank and First National Bank (FNB), on Wednesday officially launched the first pilot programmes at their respective headquarters in the Johannesburg central business district to iron out any potential technical glitches prior to the programme’s nationwide deployment.

Under the pilot programmes, the banks’ employees were able to apply for the new smart ID cards at internally established Home Affairs “offices” at the pilot sites, as the DHA tested and streamlined the system, with around 1 800 new cards issued since the live capture system’s inception in August.

Nedbank aimed to launch a similar pilot programme at its Sandton headquarters in October, while FNB planned to open a second pilot site at its Menlyn offices in November, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said during a tour of the pilot project sites.

Following the successful conclusion of the pilot programmes, the rest of the public would, from early next year, be able to apply for the new ID cards – and even passports – at their local bank branch, with the DHA leveraging the nation’s 20-million-strong financial client network to accelerate its ambitions of phasing out 38-million green barcoded ID books within five years.

By January, the department had surpassed the target of issuing one-million smart ID cards, with the aim of issuing more than 2.2-million smart cards to citizens in the 2015/16 financial year.

Talks were under way between the DHA and other financial institutions, including Absa, to incorporate the system within their platforms to further expand the DHA's footprint and minimise queues at front-line offices.

The move was aimed at easing the burden on the various Home Affairs agencies and ensuring as much access as possible to South African citizens as the DHA transitioned from the green barcoded ID books to fully electronic-based smart IDs.

Currently, 140 of the 403 home affairs offices nationwide were equipped with the live capture system for processing smart ID cards and new passports, with another 38 expected to be converted by the end of this financial year.

The partnerships also aimed to facilitate efficient and secure ways of accessing services, including the introduction of e-channels for various services, such as online applications prior to visiting the bank.