Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide a brief introduction to the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system in South Africa. The information was collected through a questionnaire completed by the Department of Home Affairs and Statistics South Africa in March 2020 and supplemented by a desk review of available documents. Among other things, the report presents:
- Background information on the country;
- Selected indicators relevant for CRVS improvement processes;
- Stakeholders’ activities; and
- Resources available to strengthen CRVS systems.
Disclaimer: The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
Country profile
The Republic of South Africa is the southernmost country in Africa. Its southern coastline stretches along 2,798 km of the South Atlantic and Indian oceans. It borders Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe to the north, and Mozambique and Eswatini (Swaziland) to the east and northeast. It surrounds the enclaved country of Lesotho.
South Africa is divided into 9 provinces. The provinces are divided into 52 districts: 8 metropolitan and 44 district municipalities. The district municipalities are further subdivided into 205 local municipalities. The metropolitan municipalities, which govern the largest urban agglomerations (central cities and surrounding areas), carry out the functions of both district and local municipalities.
118,484
58.78
1.4%
CRVS Dimensions
Birth
| Completeness of birth registration |
88.6% 2018 |
| Children under 5 whose births were registered |
89% (2014 |
| Births attended by skilled health professionals |
90% (2016 |
| Women aged 15-49 who received antenatal care from a skilled provider |
97% (2015 |
| DPT1 immunization coverage among 1-year-olds |
70% 2018 |
| Crude birth rate (per 1,000 population) |
20.9 (2017 ) |
| Total fertility rate (live births per woman) |
4.3 (2017 ) |
| Adolescent fertility rate (per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 years) |
132.7 (2017 |
| Population under age 15 |
28.8% (2019 ) |
Death
| Completeness of death registration |
96% (2017 ) |
| Crude death rate (per 1,000 population) |
9.5 (2017 ) |
| Infant mortality rate (probability of dying by age 1 per 1,000 live births) |
28.49 (2018 |
| Under five mortality rate (probability of dying by age 5 per 1,000 live births) |
33.8 (2017 ) |
| Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) |
125 (2015 |
Marriages and divorces
| Marriage registration rate |
Not available |
| Women aged 20-24 first married or in union before age 15 |
Not available (N/A) |
| Women aged 20-24 first married or in union before age 18 |
Not available (N/A) |
| Divorce registration rate |
Not available |
Vital statistics including causes of death data
| Compilation and dissemination of CR-based statistics |
Every 2 years (N/A) |
| Medically certified causes of death data |
63.9% (2017 |
Civil registration system
Legislative Framework
The laws governing civil registration in South Africa are found in the following acts:
- Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 (Act No. 51 of 1992) and amendments: Act No. 40 of 1996, Act No. 67 of 1997, Act No. 43 of 1998, Act No. 1 of 2002, and Act No. 18 of 2010;
- National Health Act, 2003 (Act No. 61 of 2003);
- Inquests Act, 1959 (Act No. 58 of 1959);
- Marriage Act, 1961 (Act No. 25 of 1961) and amendments;
- Marriage Extension Act, 1997 (Act No. 50 of 1997);
- Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 1998 (Act No. 120 of 1998);
- Civil Union Act, 2006 (Act No. 17 of 2006);
- Divorce Act, 1996 (Act No. 95 of 1996), which amended the Matrimonial Affairs Act, 1953 (Act No. 37 of 1953), and two amendments: Act No. 7 of 1989 and Act No. 44 of 1992; and
- Children’s Act (Act No. 38 of 2005), which came into force in 2006.
The vital events discussed in legislation include births, deaths, marriages, divorces, stillbirths, recognitions, and legitimation. These laws cover all legal geographic areas of South Africa and its entire population, including non-citizens and refugees. The laws provide for the collecting of vital statistics for births and deaths only.
Management, organization and operations
National CRVS systems coordination mechanisms
In South Africa, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is the institution responsible for civil registration. Annex 2 shows the organizational structure of the DHA. Figure 1 shows the other ministries and agencies responsible for notification of vital events:
- Department of Health (births and deaths);
- Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (divorce decrees); and
- Department of Social Development (adoptions).
A national technical working group provides a forum for stakeholders in CRVS systems. The group meets quarterly. It is made up of the following members:
- South African Medical Research Council;
- Statistics South Africa (Stats SA);
- Department of Health;
- DHA; and
- Academic institutions.
There is no legislation relating to the establishment and operation of the coordinating committees.
Administrative level registration centres
The lowest administrative level is at the major towns level. There are 412 local civil registration offices or service points, with 164 in urban areas and 248 in rural areas. There are 88 local civil registrars.
Accessibility of civil registration services
The DHA states that service points should be located within a catchment area of a 20 to 25 km radius; rural areas also have mobile registration units. The average distance of most households from the nearest local registration office is 20 to 50 km. The average estimated time it would take most households to reach their nearest local registration office is 30 to 44 minutes by car.
Registration of vital events
The events covered by the civil registration system are listed in Table 1.
Civil registration physical forms and vital statistics documents are prepared separately. The physical form contains civil registration information and can be used to collect vital statistics.
The recording of demographic events covers all segments of the country’s population and all geographical regions.
Annex 1 gives an overview of the CRVS system and how it works. The processes of registration for the different vital events are as follows:
Births: All children born in South Africa must be registered within 30 days of their birth, under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992.
A parent, parents, guardian, or any other person legally responsible for the child must complete Form DHA-24. This form is issued at the DHA, not at healthcare facilities. The DHA has introduced Form DHA-24PB as well: it is completed by the health personnel present at the birth. A copy is given to the mother to register the birth; it must be submitted to the nearest DHA office if the person is in South Africa, or the nearest South African embassy, mission, or consulate if they are overseas.
As soon as the child’s birth has been registered, an unabridged birth certificate is issued free of charge. The South African system is live, so certificates are issued at registration, although some hospital registration points are not connected to the system.
Marriages: The Department of Home Affairs manages the solemnization and registration of civil marriages, customary marriages, and civil unions. Civil marriages are governed by the Marriage Act. South Africa also recognizes customary marriages through the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act (2000). Civil unions are recognized under the Civil Union Act (2006).
A person who is getting married in South Africa must do the following:
- Ensure that they are legally allowed to marry.
- Understand the legal consequences of marriage: in particular, that marriages in South Africa are automatically based on community of property, unless a valid prenuptial contract has been signed before the marriage.
- Make sure that the marriage will meet all legal requirements for a valid marriage. A person who is not sure of these requirements is advised to seek legal counsel before marrying.
Marital status and date of the marriage can be verified with the DHA at any time by text message. The DHA created this process because a large number of fraudulent marriages were being reported every year. Couples must contact the DHA to set a date for the wedding. At this stage, their marital status is verified and they are required to complete form DHA-27.
Adoptions: Under section 25 of the Child Care Act, 1983 (Act No. 74 of 1983), the DHA must record the adoption of a child in the child’s birth register if the adoptive parents request it. To record the adoption, the adoptive parents must do the following:
- Complete form DHA-193;
- Submit a written request to any domestic office of the DHA;
- Submit a certified copy of the adoption order; and
- Pay the required fee.
The DHA is responsible for recording the adoption in the child’s birth register only if the adoptive parents request it. Any other matters relating to adoption fall under the Department of Social Development (previously Welfare and Population Development).
Backlog of unregistered births
There is no backlog of unregistered births in South Africa.
Interface with other sectors and operations
The health sector is involved in the notification of births, stillbirths, and deaths that occur in healthcare facilities. Having health personnel complete the DHA-24PB form will ensure that the DHA is notified about births in these facilities. The DHA-1663 form is issued by healthcare facilities (for deaths that occur there) and by private medical doctors (for deaths in the community).
To access an education, children need a birth certificate, which enables them to go to school. Matriculation students (those in their final year of high school) need an identity document to write their final exams.
Social services protect the poor and vulnerable through the Department of Social Development. The following ID documents are needed to use these services:
- Birth certificate to access child grants;
- ID documents to access old age and disability grants; and
- Death certificate to access a foster care grant.
For elections, the DHA biometric system is used by the Independent Electoral Commission for voter identification.
Banks use the DHA biometric system to identify and verify individuals’ identity
Vital statistics system
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has the legal mandate to collect, compile, analyze, publish, disseminate, and coordinate the national statistics system. The Health and Vital Statistics division compiles statistical reports based on data from the civil registration system, including causes of death. The Demography division compiles vital statistics from other sources (Table 4).
The estimated completeness levels are in Table 5.
The latest vital statistics reports are:
- 2017 (Mortality and Causes of Death)
- 2018 (Recorded Live Births)
- 2017 Marriages and Divorces (the 2018 report was due for publication in March 2019)
The Government Treasury allocates funds for the compilation of vital statistics from the civil registration system.
Apart from the government budget, no development partner is supporting the generation of vital statistics system in South Africa.
Causes of death
The cause-of-death information is collected through the civil registration system (Table 6).
For non-institutional deaths, verbal autopsy tools or methods are not used for collecting cause-ofdeath information. The cause of death is coded according to the International Classification of Diseases version 10 (ICD-10). The Birth and Death Registration Act requires all deaths to be medically certified, regardless of where they occurred.
The latest report on the causes of death published is Mortality and Causes of Death in South Africa, 2017: Findings from Death Notification P0309.3, which was published in 2020.
Other sources indicate the infant mortality rate at 28.4 deaths per 1,000 live births
Digitization
The State Information Technology Agency is responsible for consolidating and coordinating information technology resources to deliver e-government services efficiently to the public. Civil registration data is hosted in the government data centre.
Computerization
Computer use is outlined in Table 8.
Online registration at health facilities
Please refer to table 8.
Mobile technology application
No institutional arrangements are mentioned between the DHA and mobile network operators or the Government Communications Commission. However, the DHA uses mobile technologies like text messaging to identify fraudulent marriages.
Text messaging is also used for registration once the initial process is done in the office. The client is informed of progress via text and notified when their document is available for pickup.
Unique identification number
A unique number is common to civil registration and identity (ID) management. This is the same ID number issued at birth: the civil registration system is the basis for entry into the identity system. Individuals enter the civil registration system through birth or by naturalization (for people who were born outside South Africa or who are not South African citizens). A birth certificate with a unique ID number is issued when a birth is registered. When a child turns 16, they ask the DHA for an ID card (using the same ID number issued at birth). The system is also linked to the passport system.
Identity documents are issued to people who are age 16 or older and are South African citizens or hold a permanent residence permit. People (including their spouses and children) who work for the South African government or one of its statutory bodies outside of South Africa also qualify for a South African ID. Eligible citizens or permanent residents can apply for IDs at any office of the DHA or any South African mission or consulate overseas.
Population register
Digitization of historical registration records
No information available.
Link with identification system
An existing identification system is linked to civil registration. Birth and death registration occurs in DHA offices across the country. Identity management is a separate division within the DHA, but within the same offices.
Two data protection laws are in place:
- Protection of Personal Information, 2013 (Act No. 4 of 2013); and
- Statistics Act, 1999 (Act No. 6 of 1999).
Improvement initiatives and external support
Improvement plan and budget
Strategic plan
The DHA has a five-year strategic plan (2020–2025). One of its priorities is civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS).
Budgetary allocations and requirements
In the 2019–2020 fiscal year, the State Treasury allocated US$14,173,315 to the civil registration system. No specific amount from the development partners providing in-kind or other support is indicated.
Activities identified as high priorities
No high-priority activities that are identified in the national plan lack funding. Some of the upcoming priorities in the country’s planning cycle for civil registration include:
- Automating all DHA offices; and
- Migrating the national ID to a new system.
Incentives for registration of vital events
Some of the incentives for recording demographic events include:
- It is necessary to allocate identity numbers and documents to individuals;
- It allows access to such benefits as opening bank accounts, accessing employment opportunities, and accessing government services such as social grants;
- A birth certificate is needed to register a child in school; and
- A death certificate is needed to settle the estate of a deceased.
Social factors affecting registration of vital events
Some of the social factors that influence the recording of demographic events in South Africa include:
- There is a lack of awareness about the provision of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act by parties entering into customary marriages;
- The granting of divorces, which happens in divorce courts (under the Department of Justice and Correctional Services), is still not linked to the DHA, where registration occurs;
- Most individuals in South Africa still separate instead of divorcing, which might have implications for the protection of women’s and children’s rights; and
- Registration of stillbirths is still affected by cultural beliefs.
Support from development partners
The development partners that provided and continue to support the civil registration and vital statistics systems improvement initiative are listed below.
Additional Materials
Websites
Additional materials
Department of Home Affairs. Strategic Plan 2020–2025.
Department of Home Affairs. Annual Report 2017–2018.
Government Gazette. 1992. Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 (Act No. 51 of 1992). Republic of South Africa. gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_ document/201409/a511992.pdf
Government Gazette. 2004. National Health Act, 2004 (Act No. 61 of 2003). Republic of South Africa. gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_ document/201409/a61-03.pdf
Inquests Act, 1959. (Act No. 58 of 1959). Republic of South Africa. justice.gov.za/legislation/ acts/1959-58.pdf
Maluleke, R. 2019. South Africa’s Progress in Civil Registration: Presentation to the 5th Annual Meeting of the ID4 Africa Movement. Johannesburg, South Africa. Statistician General of South Africa.
Republic of South Africa. Marriage Act, 1961 (Act No. 25 of 1961) and amendments; Marriage Extension Act, 1997 (Act No. 50 of 1997); Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 1998 (Act No. 120 of 1998); Civil Union Act, 2006 (Act No. 17 of 2006).
Republic of South Africa. Divorce Act. Justice and Constitutional Development. justice.gov.za
Statistics South Africa. 2017. Statistical Release P0309.3 – Mortality and Causes of Death in South Africa: Findings from Death Notification 2017. Republic of South Africa. statssa.gov.za/ publications/P03093/P030932017.pdf
Statistics South Africa. 2018. Statistical Release P0307 – Marriages and Divorces 2018. Republic of South Africa. statssa.gov.za/publications/P0307/ P03072018.pdf
Statistics South Africa. 2019. Statistical Release P0302 – Mid-year Population Estimates 2019. Republic of South Africa. statssa.gov.za/ publications/P0302/P03022019.pdf
World Bank. 2017. The State of Identification Systems in Africa: Country briefs. documents. worldbank.org/en/publication/documentsreports/documentdetail/298651503551191964/ the-state-of-identification-systems-in-africacountry-briefs
Conclusion
South Africa has benefited from a number of initiatives aimed at improving its CRVS system. These have resulted in
- greater registration of vital events;
- comprehensive CRVS legislation that is regularly amended;
- greater demand for registration documents to access social services;
- people adhering to civil registration laws through national campaigns and outreach programs;
- more civil registration service delivery points (such as hospitals, mobile units, and Thusong service centres);
- improved turnaround times for birth and death registrations;
- clear roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders; and
- legislated forms and well-documented processes.
The DHA was in its first year of a five-year strategic plan; birth registration is one of the priorities. The DHA registers around 74 percent of births within 30 calendar days. One key activity is rolling out birth registration procedures in more healthcare facilities with maternity wards to ensure that those who apply are verified. This is important because some public service institutions depend on official birth registration figures for planning.
Endnotes
[footnotes]
Annex
