South Africa and Mauritius Enhance Digital Identity Systems to Combat Fraud

• •South Africa is phasing out its green-barcoded ID book by 2029 due to rising fraud.
• •An Intelligent Population Register will include biometric data for better identity verification.
• •Mauritius is introducing identity verification for social media to combat online fraud.

South Africa is implementing a major overhaul of its identity management system, introducing an Intelligent Population Register that will include biometric data to improve identity verification and reduce fraud. The transition from the green-barcoded identity book, used by 16 million South Africans, is aimed at addressing a 400% rise in impersonation fraud since its introduction. The government plans to phase out the old ID book by 2029 and is also targeting the misuse of Traffic Registration Numbers (TRNs) used by foreign nationals. Meanwhile, Mauritius is launching an identity verification mechanism for social media users to combat cyber fraud and identity theft. Both countries are responding to rising digital fraud and the need for robust online governance. The South African government aims to complete new regulations for TRNs within three months, while Mauritius is still developing its framework.