State of provinces 2018/2019: Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng

Meeting report

Mr Norman Ramashia, Acting Deputy Director General: Department of Home Affairs, introduced the delegations from Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng, and tendered apologies on behalf of the Minister, whose mother had passed away, the Deputy Minister, who was overseas, and the Acting Director General, who was absent attending to other commitments.

Status of Limpopo Province

Mr Albert Matsaung, Provincial Manager: Limpopo, said the presentation would provide the Committee with background and updates on civic services, immigration services, finance and supply chain matters, human resources, achievements and challenges.

Births registered within 30 calendar days were 113 216; Smart ID cards issued to citizens were 365 514; 132 employers were detected for contravening immigration laws and had been charged; 9 500 transgressors in contravention of immigration law had been charged; 6 236 undocumented foreign nationals were directly deported; 550 undocumented foreign nationals were transferred to Lindela; 13 fraudulent marriages and marriage of convenience cases were finalised; and 2 605 valid invoices were settled within 30 days of certification.

Mr Matsaung reported on the challenges and identified interventions in relation to birth registrations. Cultural traditions regarding the naming of children and having to remain in-house for 30 days prevented registration at online facilities/offices in fewer than 31 days. Hospitals admitting mothers in labour without Identification prevented online facilities from registering, and in some cases wrong ID numbers were captured by hospitals based on the verbal confirmation of ID numbers of a mother. Unavailability of the biological father when consent was required -- if a child was born out of wedlock and the mother wanted the child to bear his/her father’s surname – also delayed registration within 31 days. Converting of noticed of birth at hospitals to DHA24PB forms ought to be delegated and communicated by senior management of the Department of Health to all hospitals country wide. No connectivity was available at some hospitals and Service Points. Some hospitals were visited only three times a week due to staff capacity. No online verification was available to verify parents, to combat fraud and false registration.

Mr Matsaung reported on challenges and identified interventions in relation to the issuance of smart ID cards. The validity of the green bar-coded IDs prevented clients from collecting their smart ID cards. Parents were not available on weekdays to accompany 16-year-old applicants for verification purposes, especially learners. Some offices had a huge influx of clients, the bulk of whom were applying for passports and not smart cards. Inadequate office space and the layout of some offices were not conducive for effective service delivery. The Garnet release-override still took very long, and the IRE and service manager were not integrated. The system was on and offline all the time. The system was not upgraded to deal with the exclusion of naturalised citizens and permanent residence permit (PRP) holders from applying for smart ID cards.

The budget for the 2018/19 financial year was R240.7 million, and R251.8 had actually been spent. Revenue received and banked stood at R57.4 million. With regard to fleet management, the provincial department had 83 vehicles. However, 100 vehicles were in use.

Mr Matsaung the overall challenges the provincial department was facing included:

• Shortage of personnel, which was a challenge in achieving most targets;
• Connectivity at health facilities with 3G was unstable;
• IS support was insufficient due to the geographical size of the district;
• Slow rate in Smart ID card applications;
• Obtaining lease agreements for leased offices;
• Lack of cash in transit facilities;
• Unabridged birth certificates;
• Duplicate cases;
• Amendment and rectifications;
• Late registrations of births;
• Awareness of Smart ID cards;
• Waiting areas and parking for clients;
• High volume of clients;
• Operating hours.

Discussion

The Acting Chairperson asked on the procedure to be followed -- whether they should engage with the Limpopo presentation, or allow all the presenters to brief the Committee and then engage with all the reports at the same time.

Mr J McGluwa (DA) said that it was desirable to discuss a presentation immediately after the Committee had been taken through it.

The Acting Chairperson agreed.

Mr A Roos (DA) sought clarity on the mobile offices which were no longer in operation. He asked where vehicles utilised as mobile offices were. Referring to the buildings’ compliance with the safety and health standards, he asked what reasons for non-compliance were.  He felt that the achievements looked exactly the same as ones from the previous report, and asserted that achievements report had been just a “cut and paste job.”

He sought clarity on smart ID card issuance. Referring to pages 14 and 23 of the presentation, he remarked that there were similarities in the summary of achievements against provincial targets and the summary of smart ID cards’ issuance, resulting in the figures being questionable. The report had just been established to be dumped on the Committee. A high number of smart ID cards had not been collected, and he asked why. He had a great concern about the inability of the provincial department to deliver smart ID cards. It had become a challenge to members of the community to receive services from the offices of the Department of Home Affairs. He concluded by stating that there should be a standard format to report to the Committee. He asked whether Members could have a five minute break to discuss this presentation that had been dumped on them.

Mr Matsaung responded that it was no cut and paste document.

The Acting Chairperson said that a recess for discussion was not necessary.

Mr McGluwa sought clarity on the issues involving the issuance of smart ID cards.

Mr Matsaung responded that ‘issuance’ referred to the instances where the smart ID cards were delivered to the office, and ‘issue’ referred to issuing smart ID cards to clients. That was how they were defined in key indicators. There were many reasons why they were defined in that context. The provincial department did not have control over when and how clients would come to collect their smart ID cards. They were not coming to collect their smart ID cards because they still had a valid green ID book. The figure of uncollected smart ID cards had accumulated over a number of years.

Mr V Pambo (EFF) said that the provincial department should not just state that the figures were accumulative, but should rather indicate which smart ID cards had been collected within three months and those after more than three months. They should be break down for different periods of time and different locations.

Mr McGluwa said the Minister had shown a willingness to address challenges in relation to hospitals, but these challenges could be addressed properly if other stakeholders were engaged with. It was difficult to understand that people had not been collecting their smart ID cards since 2010. There was also a challenge of a backlog which had not been addressed for many years.

Mr M Molekwa (ANC) sought clarity on recruitment, and asked what had been meant when they said that they were going to prioritise the recruitment of coloureds, whites and Indians. Why should there be a follow up on mothers who gave birth at the weekends and who were discharged without registering their babies. What happened if a mother gave a birth, but she had no ID? Did the Department understand that it was a security department which needed to carry out its work to contribute to national security?

Limpopo’s response

Mr Matsaung responded that inadequate resources contributed to the Department’s inability to meet its target. Mostly, mothers who did not have IDs were those who gave birth at the age of 15 or 16. If documents were missing, and a mother therefore could not register a child, there was a follow up. On demographics, he highlighted that there were small numbers from other races. Mobile offices were not being used and there was a process of equipping them with new technology. Regarding deportation, there were those who were deported directly. Some people were released after showing their documents to officers.

Status of the Mpumalanga Province

Ms N Chiloane, District Manager Operations: Ehlanzeni, focused on the provincial overview, civic services, immigration affairs, human resource management, finance and supply chain matters, counter corruption and security services, and achievements and challenges.

Among key performance areas, births registered within 30 calendar days were 66 842; Smart ID cards issued to citizens were 239 529; 71 employers were detected for contravening immigration law and thus charged; 2 079 transgressors in contravention of immigration law were charged, and 1 768 undocumented foreign nationals were directly deported; 550 undocumented foreign nationals were transferred to Lindela; 16 fraudulent marriages and marriage of convenience cases were finalised; 1 630 valid invoices were settled within 30 days of certification; 75 866 applications for passports were lodged.

14 690 Smart ID cards and 4 037 green ID books had not been claimed or collected.

Actual expenditure was R167.7 million, compared to the allocated budget for 2018/19 financial year of R165 million. The number of vehicles in use was 137.

Ms Chiloane  said challenges included the shortage of support staff, connectivity at health facilities, reluctance for change to smart ID cards, blocked identity numbers and undocumented learners in schools.

Discussion

Mr McGluwa said something was wrong with the provincial department, but he wished it well. He sought clarity on expenditure in relation to the compensation employees and on reasons of underperformance. Referring on transgressions, he asked whether punishments were being enforced. Were penalty fees being paid? He also sought clarity on a finalised case which had been referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).

Ms T Khanyile (DA) sought clarity on rentals and how people were receiving services if offices were not rented, or undergoing renovations. What was the status of mobile offices -- where they operational? How was the Department servicing people who could not get to their offices? There was a case that had been withdrawn only because a docket was misplaced. This was unacceptable. It was negligence. What did the Department do if they got information like this?

Mr Roos sought clarity on the statistics dealing with transgressors. 

Mr  Pambo said he had a special interest in the deportations. Why was the provincial department solely deporting Africans -- why not Europeans and Asians? African immigrants were subjected to ill-treatment in Lindela prior to deportation. This was a historical issue. A member of the public had remarked that white people were documented, and that was why South Africans were killing African immigrants who were not documented and in the country illegally. However, illegality was contributed to by the DHA, which was not delivering its services owing to various challenges.

Mpumalanga’s response

Ms Chiloane responded that people were not coming forward to collect ID smart cards because they were still holding old IDs, while others were unable to pay the fees charged for the collection of IDs. She said was a need for permanent staff and connectivity in order to deliver. Some people could not afford the R140 charged for a smart ID cards. Penalty fees were paid in court. Interpreters in court cases were the responsibility of the court. In order to get to people who could not access easily services, mobile offices were used. These offices were being modernised.  The missing docket matter was in court because  it had been found.

Status of Gauteng Province

Ms Mamokubung Moeketsi, Provincial Manager: Gauteng, said she would focus on issues that were unique to the province, because the issues were similar to those the others had presented. During the 2018/19 financial year, 188 649 births were registered. However, the provincial department faced huge challenges in birth registrations. There was no connectivity at most health facilities, no online verification to enable birth registration for mothers without IDs; and no appointed permanent staff at most health facilities. Data on births delivered at weekends and after hours was lost, as there was no overtime budget. Certain cultural beliefs on the naming of children; unavailability of biological fathers when consent was required if a child was born out of wedlock; and unavailability of office space in some health facilities -- all of these acted as a barrier to birth registration.

808 424 smart cards had been issued. As at the end of July 2019, 54 187 smart cards had not been collected by clients, and 4 307 green ID books also remained uncollected.

Ms Moeketsi said that in 2018 the Minister had declared a war on queues. He had directed the Department to prepare an assessment report on how best to manage the queues and to improve service delivery at respective offices. In Gauteng, Alexandra and Soweto, the offices had been identified and intervention mechanisms had been applied.

Regarding immigration, 483 employers were charged with corruption. Transgressors of immigration law who were charged stood at 12 536. There was direct deportation of 95 foreign nationals, whereas 8 171 were transferred to Lindela. 210 fraudulent marriages were detected. Special operations were conducted in Johannesburg. It followed that 42 immigration officers had assisted with the arrest and detention of 659 foreign nationals. While 340 detainees had been released over the weekend, 319 detainees had appeared before the court. After court appearances, another 51 detainees were released.

Ms Moeketsi reported on the budget and expenditure. Actual expenditure was R451.2 million, which meant the provincial department had overspent, as the budget for 2018/19 was R437.1 million. However, the cost of leasing vehicles had been reduced, as the province was procuring departmentally-owned vehicles. The spending pattern was in line with the spending guidelines to prevent under-spending or overspending.  As a cost cutting measure, the department had managed to procure 87- vehicle departmental fleet in two years, with an anticipated saving of R11 million. The Department had collected revenue amounting to R72.1 million.

Referring to the state-owned building, she said that most state-owned buildings were not Occupation Health Standards (OHS) compliant, and that the Department of Public Work (DPW) always claimed unavailability of budget for major repairs and maintenance. There were delays in the renewal of lease agreements from the DPW. There was also a problem of reluctance to assist with repairs and maintenance, as most lease agreements were on a month-to-month basis.

The provincial challenges included:

• Target setting for the banks;
• Disrupted service due to cable theft;
• Demands for service versus resources, which resulted in queues being cut contrary to published working hours;
• Budget constraints versus the inspectorate needed in the province, as well as the ‘War on Queues’;
• Non-compliance with OHS;
• Lack of cooperation from the landlord;
• Buildings without lease agreements;
• Insufficient security measures, which resulted in the office experiencing losses and disrupted services due to burglaries in the offices;
• No deployment of security in offices on Sundays due to budget constraints, which made the provincial department vulnerable to burglaries.

Discussion

Mr Pambo remarked that the problem with the Department was its inability to fill vacant posts, which rendered it incapable. Employees were resigning, and these positions were not being filled. The DHA was a Department that was dealing with everyone in the country. It also dealt with citizens who were outside of the country. It ought to be efficient and effective, which was why he expected to hear that, based on the absence of effective leadership, there was no hope to deliver. There was a crisis in the country. There was violence against foreign nationals. People were dying. People were killing each other, but there was no statement from the state’s leadership. If the Department had to speak openly and frankly, they would not have tabled defensive presentations. The crisis in the country was the main challenge the Department was facing. This would lead to the collapse of the country, because the issues were not superficial. The crisis ought to be linked to human relations. On the street, people did not have essential documents because of problems of delays in the Department. This problem resulted in putting the lives of innocent people at risk of being victimised. The presentation had failed to clarify the targets and actual achievements. It should have been a narrative accepting that the Department itself was in crisis.  Some of its offices were closed and non-operational. Did the Department believe that it contributed to the crisis the country was facing?

Ms Khanyile appreciated the oversight conducted by the Committee, because it allowed Members to gain an insight into the challenges Gauteng province was facing. She had sent her concerns to the Director General via email. Actually, Members realised the amount of the work that staff members dealt with on daily basis, including the backlogs. The DG should indicate the timeline of the turnaround strategy. The Committee and the Department needed to agree on an approach to resolve the crisis and challenges. This was important, because Members had to respond to questions posed by people in their respective constituencies. She had met with an asylum-seeker who had explained his situation, but could not get a refugee status permit, and she could not understand why. She asked what criteria were taken into account to qualify for refugee status. She sought clarity on the vehicles which were used as mobile offices and which were no longer operative, and on how the department had dealt with the lost/missing docket issue. What criteria were used for renting offices? What measures were in place to resolve the issue of undocumented learners – who were about to write their national exams.

Departments’ responses

Mr Matsaung said the Limpopo department was the end user of the DPW, because it was they who negotiated with landlords.

Ms Chiloane agreed. She said they needed big spaces in which the Mpumalanga department could operate. On the question of learners who were undocumented, she said that learners who were undocumented were mainly foreign nationals who were waiting for ministerial intervention. This issue had been prioritised. They were going to the schools to identify the learners, who were screened to ensure that they did not miss national exams. The Minister ought to provide guidance on how to deal with foreign national learners who were illegally in the country. On the deportation, she responded that when an operation was conducted to detect non-documented foreign nationals, they did not target only black Africans.

Ms Moeketsi said she had noted the inputs from Members, but no specific question had been directed to her.

Mr Ramashia said that the crisis in the country was not only contributed to by the Department. There were other departments which were failing in their duties, such as the Departments of Police and Defence, and entities such as the South African Revenue Service (SARS). The crisis was aggravated to by remarks made by leaders. The manner in which they spoke about these issues was very critical. The main problem was an understanding that illegal foreigners had more rights than others, and people failed to understand that they should adhere to the laws of the country.

The meeting was adjourned.