'Green ID book remains valid until further notice' - Home Affairs Department
The Department is planning to do away with the green books, but no date has been set as to when this will happen.
Photo: Qama Qukula/CapeTalk
Thabo Shole Mashao spoke to Deputy Director General for Operations at the Department of Home Affairs, Thulani Mavuso.
Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below.
The Home Affairs Department is urging all South Africans who are still in possession of a green ID book to get a smart ID card as soon as possible.
After over a decade since introducing the smart ID card, the Department is planning to do away with the green books, but Mavuso says no date has been set as to when this will happen.
"Our expectation is that in the next two or so years we should have actually just done away with it but we have not set the timelines."
- Thulani Mavuso, Deputy Director General for Operations - Home Affairs Department
Some 17 million people are reportedly still in possession of the green ID book.
"The green ID book is very vulnerable to theft and fraud."
- Thulani Mavuso, Deputy Director General for Operations - Home Affairs Department
"The smart ID card carries your biometrics."
- Thulani Mavuso, Deputy Director General for Operations - Home Affairs Department
Mavuso emphasises that until an official announcement is made, the green ID book is still valid and remains a legal document.
Scroll up to listen to the full interview.