South Africa unveils smartphone digital ID prototype and issues first credential

South Africa's Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has demonstrated a working smartphone digital ID, issued the first credential, and set 31 March 2027 to end production of the Green ID book. The wallet pulls a facial image from the national population register, while Smart ID replacement is expanding through more than 500 bank branches. The story shows national identity moving toward biometric, smartphone-based verification linked to banks and government services, the kind of infrastructure that could later govern access to daily life. Current reporting shows convenience and fraud reduction, with selective disclosure features, not compulsion.