South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs says its bank-based Smart ID services are expanding to wider access across the country. The department reports that more than 250,000 South Africans have used its Smart ID replacement service since March. Home Affairs states that the service is now available through 203 participating bank branches nationwide, reflecting a shift toward processing applications at bank locations rather than solely through government offices.
The outlets covering the announcement say the expansion is designed to make applications faster and more accessible, supported by partnerships with banks. Together, the reports indicate that the department is scaling up implementation across multiple regions through the branch network. While the sources highlight improvements in speed and convenience, they largely focus on the scope of rollout—203 bank branches—and the level of uptake—over 250,000 applications processed since the programme started in March. No additional details on processing times, eligibility changes, or future branch targets are provided in the cited reports.
