The Home Affairs Department has encouraged South Africans to migrate to the Smart ID Cards as  it has advanced security features.

It says it’s trying to eliminate the risk of corruption and fraud, including identity theft.

The department’s Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza says this is the programme that started in 2013 because the Smart-Coded ID is more secure than the green barcoded ID.

“The green barcoded ID is subject to identity theft and also credit fraud which we have seen being prevalent. It can also be a source of duplicate cases and that is why we are asking everyone who is on the green barcoded ID to move to a Smart ID card. Very soon before the end of the year, we anticipate that we will have stopped issuing out green barcoded IDs.”

EDITORIAL NOTE: Earlier we reported that the green ID will be phased out by end of this year which is incorrect.