Section 1: The Body and the Digital ID 🚨🚨🚨

(From the National Identification Registration Bill, 2022)

Section 1 (the Definitions Section): The Bill legally defines how your face, fingerprints, palms, eyes, iris, and even your children’s biometrics become part of a government-controlled database.

Key Definitions that Involve the Human Body:

“Biometric Information”

Includes fingerprints, facial features, and any other physical traits that can identify a person.

Plain meaning: The government will capture and store information on parts of your body as data - fingerprints, facial scans, or even iris patterns.

Implication: You become the ID itself. Your body is the password.

“Demographic Information”

Includes details like gender, date of birth, and other physical identifiers.

Plain meaning: The system records who you are, when you were born, and how your body defines you.

Implication: Combined with biometrics, this builds a complete personal profile - linking your physical self to every record, service, or transaction you make.

Children Included

“A child who is ten years or older must be registered and issued with an identity number.”

Plain meaning: The age for ID registration drops to 10. Kids in primary school will have their fingerprints and data stored for life.

Implication: Children enter the surveillance system before they even reach high school.

In short:

The Bill changes the idea of identity from something you carry - like a green ID book - into something you are. (You become a living, walking dompas.)

Section 30 of the Bill states: "This Act is called the National Identification Registration Act, 2022 and comes into operation on a date fixed by the President by proclamation in the Gazette." How far from this are we?

We recently reached out to the President's office, the Committee on Home Affairs as well as both Mr.Malakate and Vena. We have notified them of the fact that we (the people of South Africa) do not feel engaged with. We have yet to obtain a response as to the official status of the Draft Bill.

Concerned Citizen(s)