Home Affairs opens modern office at Cape Town Civic Centre


Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber officially opened a new modern Home Affairs office at the Cape Town Civic Centre on Monday as part of efforts to bring government services closer to residents and reduce long queues.

Schreiber said the new facility forms part of the department’s Home Affairs @ home reform programme, which aims to decentralise services and make them more accessible at locations people already visit.

“For too long, visiting Home Affairs has been associated with travelling long distances, standing in queues and losing hours of your day,” Schreiber said. “Through our ambitious reform agenda, we are rapidly changing that experience, including here in Cape Town.”

The new office is located alongside existing City services and near public transport, providing residents with a more convenient and accessible option for Home Affairs services.

The facility will operate on a bookings-only basis, allowing clients to schedule appointments in advance and avoid unnecessary waiting times.

Appointments can be booked through the department’s upgraded online booking system.

Schreiber said the new office would also help reduce pressure on busy Home Affairs branches, including the Barrack Street office.

He pointed to the department’s digital partnership with the banking sector, which has already expanded access to Smart ID replacement services at more than 450 bank branches across the country, including several in Cape Town.

“The new office we are launching today at the Civic Centre builds on that progress by taking additional pressure off busy offices such as the one in Barrack Street,” Schreiber said.

“This is Home Affairs @ home: using digital transformation and partnerships to eliminate queues, decentralise access and deliver dignity for all.”

Home Affairs launches online tool to find participating bank branches for Smart ID applications

The Department of Home Affairs has launched a new online service that helps South Africans quickly locate the nearest participating bank branch where they can apply for a Smart ID Card.

Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber unveiled the platform on Monday during the department's digital partnership media event with FNB at Canal Walk in Cape Town.

Available at myhomeaffairsonline.dha.gov.za, the online tool allows citizens to instantly search for participating bank branches across South Africa. As more banks join the department's digital partnership, newly added branches will automatically appear on the platform in real time.

The launch forms part of Home Affairs' expanding digital transformation aimed at making government services more accessible and convenient.

According to the department, Smart ID Card services are now available at 372 participating bank branches nationwide, giving more South Africans the opportunity to replace the fraud-prone green barcoded ID book with the more secure Smart ID Card.

Since the banking partnership was introduced on 9 March 2026, more than 500,000 South Africans have applied for Smart ID Cards through participating bank branches, reflecting growing demand for faster and more convenient Home Affairs services.

"This new online service makes it easier than ever for South Africans to find their nearest participating bank branch and switch to the secure Smart ID Card. Every reform we implement should make our services easier to access, and this is another practical step towards achieving that goal," Schreiber said.

The minister urged all South Africans who still use the green barcoded ID book to upgrade to the Smart ID Card.

"More than half a million South Africans have already made the switch from the fraud-prone green barcoded ID book through our banking partners.

"It has never been easier to join them. Home Affairs @ Home is about bringing our services closer to where people live, work and bank, so that secure Home Affairs services fit into the lives of South Africans instead of expecting South Africans to fit into ours.

That is how we will continue delivering dignity for all," Schreiber said.
error:
Scroll to Top