Home Affairs cuts system downtime by 61% after digital reforms

NATIONAL NEWS - Two years after Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said “system offline at Home Affairs should be a swear word”, the department says significant progress has been made in reducing disruptions caused by technical failures.

According to the department, working hours lost to system downtime fell from 35 426 hours in 2024/25 to 13 867 hours in 2025/26 – a reduction of 61%.

The department attributes the improvement to a series of digital reforms aimed at strengthening its technology infrastructure and reducing the number of failures that can leave offices unable to process applications.

Digital upgrades improve service delivery

Home Affairs spokesperson Carli van Wyk said the reforms were producing “concrete service delivery improvements” for South Africans.

The measures include upgrading network infrastructure, modernising front-office applications, replacing ageing equipment and eliminating single points of failure that previously left offices offline for extended periods.

Further work is also underway to improve real-time monitoring of system performance.

All provinces record improvements

The department said all nine provinces recorded improvements in system uptime during the 2025/26 financial year.

The Free State recorded a 79% improvement in uptime, while Mpumalanga recorded a 68% improvement.

The North West recorded a 41% improvement.

Nationally, the reduction in downtime means thousands fewer working hours were lost at Home Affairs offices during the financial year.

More digital services rolled out

Schreiber said the reduction in downtime forms part of a broader digital transformation programme aimed at improving both access to Home Affairs services and the quality of service provided.

The department says more than 408 bank branches have rolled out digital Smart ID services over the past five months.

“Our reforms have ignited a virtuous cycle where we are not only expanding access to Home Affairs services at an unprecedented pace, with over 408 bank branches rolling out digital Smart ID services over the past five months, but simultaneously improving the quality of service offered at Home Affairs offices,” Schreiber said.

He acknowledged that further work remains but said the improvements made over the past 24 months demonstrate the potential of digital transformation to improve public services.

“The dramatic improvements delivered in just 24 months serve as motivation for us to further enhance access and service delivery through digital transformation to ensure we deliver dignity for all,” Schreiber said.