Just like NIMC’s National Identification Number (NIN) in Nigeria, the South African government is currently working on unique digital identity numbers for citizens. The government plans to create unique identities for its citizens and issue instant visas as it digitises its economy.
The South African’s Digital Identity Numbers (DIN)’s task is imposed as responsibilities of South African Revenue Service, the Reserve Bank and the department of home affairs. These agencies are in charge of bringing the innovative ideas to past.
According to the country’s tax authority Boss Edward Kieswetter at an event last week, he emphasized that having no unified digital identity is like having separate IDs for different things—like an ID number for citizenship, a tax number, a business registration number, and a hospital patient number.
He attributed it to the systems not being linked. He said a person can appear as multiple “identities” across different government records. This makes it possible for someone to take advantage of gaps in the system, like being able to work while also claiming social grants that are meant for people without jobs.
“The absence of a digital identity means that in South Africa I have an ID number, I have a tax number, I have” one for registering a company and another for being a hospital patient, Kieswetter said. “I appear in the system in many different identities which allows for arbitrage — so I can be employed and get a social grant because the system doesn’t pick me up,” said Edward.
Since there’s no single digital identity that brings all this information together, the system can’t easily detect when people are doing this.
How the Digital ID Number will work with Visa like Tax’s Technology
The South African’s Revenue Authority and the country’s department of home affairs are working together to leverage tax’s existing technologies to create system that will issue instant visas to citizens.
They already have technology that can quickly issue tax assessments—in less than five seconds—so they know it’s possible to do something similar for visas and they are utilizing similar technology for issuing of instant visas.
According to Boss Edward Kieswetter, they’re now developing a test version (a “proof of concept”) of this system to see if they can make instant visas a reality.
In essence, when the application is implemented successfully, South Africans will be able to get a unique digital ID numbers each with ability to use anywhere in the country and the digital ID will be used to issue instant visas that will be acceptable anywhere South African visa is required.
