Goodbye to the green ID book, a document that carried South Africa's history
Close to 15 million South Africans still use it. It is to be phased out by 2028, and banks have already processed more than 574,000 Smart ID applications.
PANM — The green barcoded identity book, which millions of South Africans held up in the queues of the first democratic election in 1994, is coming to the end of its life, a government official writes for SAnews.
A document with two histories
Sandile Nene of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) recalls that the apartheid government used identity documents to enforce discriminatory laws and control the movement of black people.
After 1994, a single identity document issued to every South African regardless of race became a symbol of belonging, giving practical form to the Freedom Charter's promise of equal rights and the vote. It became the key to voting, government services and social grants.
What is changing
- Close to 15 million South Africans still rely on the green ID book.
- It will be phased out by 2028, as the government moves from paper to digital and biometric systems.
- Holders are encouraged to replace it with a Smart ID card, which uses a secure chip and biometric data to guard against identity theft and fraud.
- Banks including Capitec, Standard Bank, FNB, Absa and Nedbank now take Smart ID applications at their branches; they had processed more than 574,371 by August 2026, easing the queues at Home Affairs offices.
With local elections on 4 November, people who have applied for a Smart ID are urged to collect it as soon as it is ready.
The green book is being replaced not because its history is forgotten, Mr Nene writes, but because South Africa is moving into a digital era and making identity safer. Its place in the country's heritage, he says, is assured.
Source: SAnews, The end of the green ID book, but not the end of its history, opinion by Sandile Nene, Acting Deputy Director-General at GCIS, 16 October 2026.
