Eswatini Resumes ID Services After System Breakdown

The Ministry in Eswatini has announced the resumption of identification card services following a system breakdown that occurred late last year. This disruption halted the ID processing across the country, leading to a significant backlog at major service centers.

First-time applicants and those seeking to re-issue their cards were particularly affected, often returning to service centers without receiving updates on their applications. The verification process for school, bank, and social service transactions was also interrupted.

The Ministry expressed gratitude to stakeholders involved in restoring the system and acknowledged the inconvenience caused to citizens. They urged applicants to enroll during the outage and to check for card collection at the centers where they originally applied.

New applicants are encouraged to visit the nearest service points, as normal ID services are now available at centers in Mbabane, Manzini, Mankayan, Simuny, Siphofaneni, Matata, Nhlangano, and Hluthi. The Ministry warned of expected long queues as the backlog is cleared and appealed for public patience as staff work to process applications.