Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says his department will propose new legislation which will make it possible for children as young as 10 to get an ID card in South Africa.
This was reportedly revealed by Motsoaledi this week while he was addressing the National Council of Provinces. This is one of the measures the minister plans to implement to strengthen passport security in the country.
Motsoaledi said he Home Affairs wants more stringent border security and additional requirements for receiving important identification and travel documents in the country.
One of the mechanisms to manage fraud is to have more people on Home Affairs database, he said. To activate this Motsoaledi said the department will impose new legislation to make it possible for people to get an ID at the age of 10 rather than wait until the age of 16.
The Minister said South Africa’s passport has become a ‘laughing stock’, with several high-profile incidents which involve fraudulent documents coming to light.
Motsoaledi said South Africa’s passport was once respected globally. However, the security of the passport is in doubt with people making jokes when they see how the processes have been circumvented.
The minister noted instances of fraudulent documents being found in the possession of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Benin nationals, which has devalued the document internationally.
The Home Affairs has been working hard trying t curb syndicates who manufacture fake documents. These operations have led to the arrest of a number of illegal immigrants who make ID’s Passports, SASSA and bank cards fraudulently.
These operations have also led to the arrest of Home Affairs employees who allegedly issue documents fraudulently or are part of a syndicate who benefit from the corruption.
Source: Business Tech, The South African, image from Twitter