Home Affairs reduces system offline errors by 61% y/y
The Department of Home Affairs has reduced system downtime at Home Affairs offices, with so-called system offline errors declining by 61% year-on-year owing to ongoing digital reforms.
The department instituted targeted reforms to fix its digital foundations, including by upgrading network infrastructure, modernising front-office applications, replacing ageing equipment and eliminating single points of failure that previously left offices offline for protracted periods.
Total working time lost to system downtime declined from 35 426 hours in 2024/25 to 13 867 hours in 2025/26.
Further work is also under way to enhance real-time performance monitoring across the system.
However, progress is uneven. All nine provinces experienced significant improvements, but the Free State province saw a 79% improvement in uptime and Mpumalanga saw a 68% improvement, while the North West province only saw a 41% improvement.
“The 61% reduction in working hours lost to system downtime is a milestone on our digital transformation journey. Our reforms are expanding access to Home Affairs services while simultaneously improving the quality of service offered at Home Affairs offices,” says Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber.
South Africans who access services at one of 408 bank branches or at departmental offices already have a vastly better experience compared with the failures previously associated with Home Affairs.
However, the work is not yet complete. The improvements delivered over the past 24 months motivates for further enhancing access and delivering services through digital transformation, he says.
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