Pretoria – Teenagers wishing to apply for smart ID cards for the first time may do so at the 28 offices across the country any time of the month.
Briefing the media at the Home Affairs headquarters in Arcadia, Pretoria, the department’s Director-General Mkuseli Apleni also said pensioners, whose birthdays fall in the months of January and February, are also invited to apply for the new-look smart ID cards during the month of February.
Those who are 60 years and older have been invited to submit their applications in accordance with their month of birth.
“Minister Naledi Pandor has announced that the department stands ready to roll-out the smart ID cards to the public with effect from 1 February 2014.
“In this regard … the department stands ready to roll-out smart ID cards to … [and] 16-year-old first time applicants can apply any month of the year.
“Sixty-year-old pensioners born during January and February must approach Home Affairs offices during the month of February to apply,” he said.
Apleni also said that from March this year, those who are 60 years old and above may apply in accordance with the month of their birth.
Support voter registration weekend
Apleni also announced that his department would open its doors on 8 and 9 February to assist citizens with the second open window of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) voter registration weekend.
He said Home Affairs offices would be open to the public from 08h00 to 17h00, and added that the offices would operate at full capacity over the two days.
“We take this opportunity to advise the public that in agreement with the IEC, both the green bar-coded IDs and the smart ID cards will be acceptable as legal forms of identity for the purposes of registration and voting during elections.
“As in the previous voter registration weekend, we have directed that the Director-General, Chief Operating Officer and all other Deputy Directors-General visit all provinces in accordance with our internal deployment processes to help coordinate and oversee the work of the provinces during the weekend,” Apleni said. – SAnews.gov.za
