Home Affairs Issues First Smart ID with Khoi-San Traditional Name

The breakthrough comes after a young student, !Khūboab Oedasoua Lawrence, was unable to obtain a Smart ID that accurately reflected his Khoi-San first name.

In a landmark administrative reform, Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber has handed over the first Smart ID card officially recognising a Khoi-San traditional name containing special characters — marking a historic breakthrough in South Africa’s digital identity system.

The milestone follows urgent upgrades to the Department of Home Affairs’ IT infrastructure, implemented in under four weeks after a long-standing technical limitation was identified.

18-Year Struggle Ends with Digital Reform

The breakthrough comes after a young student, !Khūboab Oedasoua Lawrence, was unable to obtain a Smart ID that accurately reflected his Khoi-San first name.

Reports indicate that the issue dates back 18 years, when his family faced similar challenges registering his birth certificate due to system limitations that could not process certain Khoi-San “special characters”.

After the matter was escalated to Minister Schreiber a month ago, the department prioritised the case and traced the problem to outdated system constraints within Home Affairs’ digital platforms and the Government Printing Works.

The root cause: an IT limitation preventing the recognition of certain indigenous linguistic characters.

Within less than four weeks, the department completed the necessary upgrades — effectively removing the restriction.

First in South African History

As a result of the system enhancements, birth certificates, Smart ID cards and passports can now officially record Khoi-San traditional names containing indigenous characters for the first time in South Africa’s history.

The Director-General is expected to issue a circular to all Home Affairs offices nationwide informing officials of the upgrade. Technical teams remain on standby to implement further refinements should additional characters require integration.

A Symbol of Identity and Inclusion

Minister Schreiber personally handed over the Smart ID to !Khūboab in Stellenbosch, where he is currently studying — describing the moment as a step forward for dignity and inclusion.

“This is a historic step forward to enhance the inclusion and dignity of Khoi-San communities in South Africa,” Schreiber said.

“As Minister, I recognise that a name is more than a practicality; it is central to every person’s identity. I am therefore very proud that we were able to correct this long-standing problem within record time after becoming aware of it.”

The Minister also drew symbolic significance from South Africa’s national motto — !ke e: /xarra //ke (“diverse people unite”) — which itself contains Khoi-San characters.

“For the first time, this motto has now found expression at Home Affairs for the Khoi-San community,” he said.

Digital Transformation Delivering Tangible Reform

The reform forms part of the Department’s broader digital transformation drive aimed at modernising identity systems, reducing administrative barriers and improving service delivery.

Home Affairs has in recent years prioritised system upgrades to strengthen data integrity, improve turnaround times and expand inclusion across historically marginalised communities.

By resolving this technical limitation, the department has effectively aligned administrative systems with constitutional values of equality, recognition and cultural dignity.

The reform signals that South Africa’s digital governance framework is evolving to better reflect the country’s linguistic and cultural diversity — ensuring that identity documentation does not erase heritage.

For !Khūboab and other members of the Khoi-San community, the upgrade represents more than a technical fix. It marks the restoration of identity within the state’s official records.