Dear Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs,

I want to inquire about the eHomeAffairs platform. Citizens born outside of SA are not able to register on it or use the site at all. It is now several years since the platform has been launched, so if this was a rollout issue, surely it should have been fixed by now?

Likewise, Smart ID cards are also not issued to citizens born outside the country. However, given the pandemic, it should be a priority to ensure that people have the option to use the online facility rather than queuing in person, which is not safe.

1) What is the reason for the platform not being available?
2) Is the decision to exclude citizens born outside SA reflected in any policy or regulation?
3) Are citizens born outside the country a separate legal category to citizens born inside the country?
4) If there is no legal basis for the exclusion, will it be fixed and how long will it take?

Thank you.