Imagine only getting your wage after facial recognition and fingerprint readers have biometrically verified your identity, recorded your attendance on site and the hours worked.
This is now a reality with the unveiling by the Gauteng department of infrastructure development on Tuesday of its new Identification Validation System.
The system will allow it to overhaul the management of the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) in the province.
Speaking at Lutsinga Infrastructure House, the department’s electronic monitoring hub in Johannesburg, MEC Jacob Mamabolo said that the system would address a range of weaknesses that had plagued the programme in the past.
“The auditor-general has highlighted concerns that the EPWP system is not secure enough and that there are too many loopholes allowing the system to be manipulated. Many crooks are benefiting from this system, and we need to put an end to this,” Mamabolo said.
He said the facial recognition platform, coupled with the fingerprint data, ensures that we are able to authenticate the identity of every person working in EPWP and detect and prevent duplicates, eliminating the chance of ghost beneficiaries being created.
“You can’t beat this system. It is going to clean up EPWP,” he said.