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Disclaimer / Limitations
This country’s legal measures were reviewed by our legal staff in consultation with in-country lawyers and/or CRVS legal experts. All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the legal analysis, however, if you consider there to be any discrepancies or if there have been changes in the law of the country since our staff last updated the legal analysis, we welcome any additional information or insights. Please contact us via this form.
Civil Registration System
South Africa
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South Africa
Civil Registration System
Coordination and Technology
Coordination and Technology
Data Sharing
Does the law require that the civil registration authority share data with the agency responsible for producing vital statistics, on a regular and timely basis?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The civil registration agency must submit statistical information collected during registration to the national statistics authority in order for the agency to compile and publish vital statistics. The law should therefore require and enable the regular and timely sharing of data needed for statistical purposes between the civil registration and statistics agency or agencies.
The Statistics Act mandates Statistics South Africa to advance the production of official statistics and imposes a duty on every organ of state to assist and to provide data when requested. The Births and Deaths Registration Act authorises the Director-General to furnish registration information to any department of State for its statutory purposes. However, no provision prescribes a specific timeframe or schedule for the transmission of civil registration data from the Department of Home Affairs to Statistics South Africa.
Does the law block the use of technology, such as electronic collection, transmission and storage of data, within the civil registration system?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The use of computers, tablets and other electronic devices should be permitted for the collection of data for vital events, and it should be permitted for these data to be transmitted between government agencies and officials with the use of mobile technology or the Internet. Some older laws block the use of technology by requiring manual forms or processes,. Laws should enable technology. However, laws be technology neutral and not specify the method and mode of collection, transmission and storage of data in any civil registration system, as this may prevent system upgrades overtime.
No provision in the Births and Deaths Registration Act or the 2014 Regulations expressly blocks the use of technology for electronic collection, transmission, or storage of civil registration data. The Act refers to inclusion of particulars in the population register without specifying the medium, and authorises biometric capture in the prescribed manner. However, certain provisions may create practical barriers to fully digital registration, including requirements that imply in-person attendance and presentation of original identity documents.
Is there a national coordinating committee to address issues on the functioning of the civil registration system and its integration with other systems, such as the health sector, vital statistics, national identity system, medicolegal death investigation, and others?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
To achieve coordination, cooperation, and interoperability amongst various government agencies that govern civil registration, vital statistics compilation and identity management, a stakeholder coordination mechanism should be established. This coordination mechanism can take the form of an inter-agency civil registration, vital statistics and identity management committee, with representatives from each of the stakeholder agencies. Alternatively, a stakeholder coordination mechanism can be a single government agency empowered to coordinate the activities of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management stakeholders and oblige stakeholders to collaborate with the coordinating entity.
No provision in the Births and Deaths Registration Act, the 2014 Regulations, or the Statistics Act establishes a formal national coordinating committee or stakeholder coordination mechanism for civil registration, vital statistics, and identity management. An inter-departmental task team on CRVS exists in practice but is not established by statute.
