NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 742
DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 14 August 2009
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 9 of 2009
Mr J J McGluwa (ID) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:
Whether her department will no longer issue smart card identity documents;
if not, why not; if so, (a) when and (b) what are the further relevant
details?
NW830E
REPLY
(a) & (b) No. The Smart Card Identity Document initiative remains one of
the crucial plans of the Department. Cabinet mandated the
Department of Home Affairs to replace the RSA National Identity
Document with a Smart Identity Card (Smart ID Card). To this
end, the Department initiated an open tender process for the
supply of the Smart ID Card, which was managed by the State
Information Technology Agency (SITA).
In the ensuing tender process, the Department was, subsequently,
advised by SITA, in April 2009, that a forensic audit of the
tender process was being carried out to investigate apparent
irregularities. As at the end of August 2009, the Department had
not been advised of the outcome of the forensic audit.
The Department has, since, cancelled the tender. Currently, we
are in discussions with National Treasury to possibly allow us
to start the process from scratch.