Mr Speaker, during the Home Affairs' portfolio committee meeting last week, the Department of Home Affairs' Director- General, Mkuseli Apleni, confirmed that all South Africans would now have to pay R140 for their first smart ID card and not just for replacements, as previously stated by Minister Pandor in the department's communications.
For millions of South Africans, R140 is literally the difference between survival and starvation. The new smart ID card price poses a serious threat to their financial security. The department needs to provide clarity on payment of fees and also needs to update this House on its discussion with the Treasury in this regard. Imposing a new ID system on South Africa's citizens and forcing them to pay for it effectively puts a price on citizenship that not everyone can afford, and will exclude them from electoral and social security processes once the green barcoded ID books are phased out.
The DA therefore calls on Minister Pandor and her department to provide clarity on the fee structure of the new smart ID cards. I thank you, Speaker. [Applause.]