South Africa issues 1M biometric Smart IDs via banks in seven months

South Africa's Home Affairs department says more than one million people have received biometric Smart ID cards through bank branches since March, with 669 branches now offering the service. Green ID Books will stop being produced in March 2027 and lose validity as identification in March 2028, and the new cards are meant to verify holders biometrically for social benefits. Tying a national biometric identity to banks and welfare access shows how identity, finance and eligibility are becoming linked infrastructure, a pattern relevant to Revelation 13:16-17's picture of participation in buying and selling being controlled.