South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) has reaffirmed its commitment to launching a functional digital ID system by the end of March 2026. The announcement was made during a presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, outlining the government’s Digital Transformation Roadmap.

The digital ID system is a cornerstone of this roadmap, designed to allow South Africans to securely access a wide range of government services online through remote authentication. While the official target for the functional launch is the fourth quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year, the project was notably listed as at risk/unknown, indicating potential challenges in meeting the deadline.

Despite this cautious note, officials expressed confidence. Sikhulekile Duma, portfolio lead for digital transformation in the Presidency, stated, “We expect the functional digital ID to come into play early next year”.  Duma highlighted a key advantage which is South Africa’s existing high-coverage ID system and the biometric-rich smart ID card.

“We have a bit of an easier way of getting to it because we already have an ID system that covers 99.8% of the population, and in addition, we have the smart ID system, which has many of those biometrics”, he explained.

A critical parallel effort is Operation Vulindlela‘s drive to transition citizens from the old green ID books to the new smart ID cards, which are a fundamental enabler for the digital system. A similar drive for permanent residents and grant recipients is planned for the second quarter of 2026.

The vision for a digital identity system was championed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his February 2025 State of the Nation Address, where he promised it would be at the heart of a transformation to make state services accessible to every person at a touch.

A tangible glimpse of this future was recently provided by the live demonstration of the MyMzansi platform. At the Global DPI Summit, Minister Solly Malatsi showcased the working prototype by renewing his digital driving licence in minutes directly through the MyMzansi app.

The demo illustrated a seamless process, from the digital wallet displaying the licence, through an in-app form and secure payment portal, to the immediate issuance of a renewed digital licence complete with a QR code for verification by traffic officers. Minister Malatsi quipped that this innovation could spell the end for informal cold drink negotiations during traffic stops.