Smart Cards on their way SA
See DTW article: You can drive, but you won’t get very far! on the exact same subject regarding Smart Cards that was posted last year and updated today (15 Apr 2010). Contains new info on microchip, South Africa’s new Toll system and the FIFA world cup soccer tournament to be held in South Africa in 2010.
Smart ID cards next year
2010-04-14 22:20
by Michael Hamlyn – © 2010 24.com
Cape Town – The smart ID card, which will encode personal and biometric information on a credit-card-sized identity document, is to be revived next year according to the Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
She told a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday that the cancellation of the previous smart card project was ‘a blessing in disguise’ because it enabled the department to plan more efficiently for the card’s introduction.
“Our infrastructure in the front-line offices was not ready to deal with the mass production of the smart card,” she said.
This year will become a year of preparation, she said. “We are going to be preparing our front-line offices. We will be rolling out live capture.
When we introduce the smart card we would like to capture our information on-line and not on paper.
Her deputy, Malusi Gigaba, told the briefing that the government printing works is being readied to mass-produce the cards.
Security printing
“We intend to position the government printing works as a strategic player in the smart card and passport business in the security printing sector,” Gigaba said.
“We are developing the capacity do security printing for government, and hopefully for other governments whether in our region or in the continent.”
He said that the printing works were commissioned by the African Union to produce smart cards for AU officials and passports for its diplomats.
“It has also been asked by SAA to do the crew member certificate, which will, in a way be a smart card,” Gigaba said.
“So there is some work that is already taking place, in developing the skills base and bringing on board the technological base infrastructure.”
Source: I-Net Bridge (News24) http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Smart-ID-cards-next-year-20100414
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Interesting thing I heard today about the SWC 2010 on buying tickets. Those who bough tickets up to 3 years ago, but could/had to Apply trough Fnb bank, could collect them today only, people where standing in huge ques to collect them today at our local Fnb Branch. Apparently it was done this way to assure that no tickets are sold to criminals ect. It was done this way for security reasons.In other words each and every person who applied for tickets have, had a security check done by the bank?? The security check is also the reason why ticket applicants had to wait 3 years. Why is that is my question.
Smart card probe nearly done
2010-04-19 14:31
Cape Town – The investigation into the cancellation of a tender to issue smart identity cards is expected to be finalised within a month, Public Service and Administration Minister Richard Baloyi said on Monday.
He was responding to a written parliamentary question by Helena van Schalkwyk of the DA, on whether the persons from the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) responsible for the leaks which led to the cancelling of a tender to issue smart ID cards had been identified.
Baloyi said the smart card project was a subject of further investigation.
“It is thus only at the conclusion of the investigation that we may shed more light on this matter.
“I am making efforts to have the matter concluded latest by June 2010. Any report on any investigation in this matter will be made available,” he said.
In September last year, the home affairs department said it had cancelled its smart card ID tender, following lengthy delays in Sita awarding the tender.
The department said the open tender process for supplying the smart cards was bungled several times and a forensic audit of the tender process was being carried out to investigate apparent irregularities.
– SAPA
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Smart-card-probe-nearly-done-20100419