Down with the Dompass- SA's new eID

So Cool Duck was feeling on getting his duck on, on Friday night so I decide to roll off down to the club. Its damn cold on Long Street and I waddle past many offers from shady characters selling 'Magic Mushrooms'. I'm not freaking Mario the plumber, what would a duck do with 'Magic Mushrooms'? I see some drunken foreign quacks along the route. Waddling through Long Street often feels like an episode of 'Mind your Language'. Anyway I get to the club and the bouncer asks me to show my identity book. I quickly reach for my identity book, as a girl walks right in discussing with a friend on how difficult the grade10 Mathemathics exams were this year. Which brings me to the topic of the post today. The timely erradication of the green Dompass we still carry around. Weird how its called eID (Eid?) and released during the Holy month of Ramadan?

So whats this card about?

Its a card, on par with all international cards that my international Quacks have shown me. I dont have to carry around that 'Book of Life' anymore.It has greater security features. “Authentication requires the user of the eID card to know a secret, like a PIN code, or to use a biometric attribute such as the fingerprint”.With this feature, it issaid that the eID card can then be a secure authentication device that lets citizens access eGovernment services in a secure, trusted, and convenient manner.
How much it it going to cost me?

Naledi Pandor, in her excellent British accent has stated that that the Smart ID cards will cost R140 and will be issued free to 16 year olds who are first-time applicants. South Africans who complain of the wasted cost of R140 contributing to the governments agenda- please go and take a look at the cost of an application for a UK or US visa, and their biometric requirements (over R1000 for a 6 month UK tourist visa).

When, How, Where?

Pandor says applications will occur in accordance with month of birth (ie July's babies in July, September's babies in September, Novem.....okay, you get the drift. You have to go to the Depatment of Home Affairs, waddle through the grant lines and eventually after a few hours, you might find the eLine to get to the new eId. Hey but dont take my word for it, that little department koisk in Springbok might not have the necessary equipment to start applications for the new eID and you'll end up looking like a knob for taking a day off work. I always call up first. I'm a smart duck like that.

The Bottom Line

Pay the R140 bucks. Embrace the new, better technology. And think of a good password, and dont make it a spouse's name. Those things change, imagine having to enter the name of the devil-lady/man after a bad bout.