Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor will unveil three Home Affairs offices in Pretoria and Johannesburg earmarked for the first phase of the of the smart ID card applications for the public.
In this regard, Minister Pandor will hand over smart ID cards to a number of selected senior citizens at the Home Affairs Byron’s Place in Pretoria and Harrison Street in Johannesburg, within the context of national celebrations to honour the role of senior citizens in the development of our communities and country.
The Director-General, Mkuseli Apleni will on the other hand unveil the Cape Town’s Barrack Street offices on the same day where members of the Portfolio committee on Home Affairs are expected to apply for the smart ID cards.
The roll-out of the smart ID card will also witness cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, members of parliament, media editors as well as other sectors being invited to apply through the three offices in Gauteng and Western Cape this week.
Since the launch of the smart ID card at the Union Buildings on 18 July to coincide with the international celebrations of Nelson Mandela Day, the home affairs department has been engaged in process of revamping infrastructure in offices across the country to enable it to roll the smart ID cards.
The opening of the three offices in Gauteng and the Western Cape are part of national plan by Minister Pandor and the Department of Home Affairs to unveil more offices across the country later this year to roll-out the smart ID card to members of the public. As the department roll-out the smart ID card, the department wishes to reiterate that:
- The public must wait to be invited to apply in accordance with their dates of birth.
- The roll-out of the smart ID card will take a few years, thus the public is called upon to exercise patience
- The smart ID card will be issued free to 16 year-olds.
- All other citizens are expected to pay R140,00.
The roll-out of the Smart ID card is part of efforts introduced since the dawn of peace, freedom and democracy in 1994 and aimed at the consolidating the restoration of national identity, citizenship and dignity to all South Africans.
Media is invited as follows:
Pretoria: Minister Pandor
Date: Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Time: 10h00
Venue: Byron’s Place, corner Sophie De Bruyn and Nina Sita
Johannesburg: Minister Pandor
Date: Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Time: 12h00
Venue: Harrison Street Home Affairs offices, Johannesburg
Cape Town: Director-General Apleni
Date: Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Time: 10h00
Venue: Barrack Street, Home Affairs offices
For more information:
Ronnie
Cell: 082 990 4853
Lunga
Cell: 082 566 0446
