South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs is continuing to drive one of the most significant public sector modernisation programmes in the country’s democratic history, under the leadership of Minister Leon Schreiber.

The reform agenda is centred on improving efficiency, reducing administrative burden, and strengthening digital infrastructure across key civic and immigration services.

At the heart of this transformation is the expansion of digital identity systems and Smart ID services, including partnerships with South African banks to bring application services closer to citizens. This initiative forms part of a wider effort to reduce queues, improve access, and modernise how essential documents such as IDs and passports are issued.

Recent progress has also included record-breaking Smart ID issuance levels, reflecting the department’s shift toward more efficient, technology-enabled service delivery. In 2025 alone, millions of Smart IDs were issued, marking a historic increase in national capacity and uptake.

Alongside this, the department is advancing its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, designed to replace paper-based visa processes with a faster, more secure digital platform for travellers and business visitors. The ETA forms part of a broader strategy to improve border management and support tourism and investment growth.

A central pillar of the reform programme is the “Home Affairs @ Home” vision — a long-term strategy to build a fully digital-first public service model. This includes the development of secure digital identity systems that will allow citizens to access government services remotely, reducing the need for in-person visits and streamlining administrative processes.

More recently, the department has continued to expand its digital roadmap through proposed digital identity frameworks, which aim to enable secure access to official documents via mobile platforms while maintaining strong protections around personal data and verification systems.

These reforms collectively represent a broader shift in how South Africa is positioning itself globally — modernising its public infrastructure to improve ease of doing business, strengthen border security, and enhance the country’s competitiveness as a destination for tourism, conferences, and international investment.

For the South African and UK business community, these developments signal a meaningful step toward a more efficient, digitally enabled state that is better aligned with global standards of governance and mobility.