Hon Deputy Chairperson, the chairperson of the Select Committee on Social Services, hon members, the director-general, senior management of the department and our honoured guests in the gallery today ... [Interjections.]
Hon Deputy, can you come to the front.
Hon Deputy Chairperson, on a point of order: Is it parliamentary for the Minister to cross the line between the speaker and yourself when leaving the Chamber?
I did not see that.
At the very outset of my address let me extend on behalf of our Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a sincere apology for not being here today due to unforeseen circumstances. I personally conveyed her apology to the Chairperson of the NCOP this morning.
The theme of this year's budget speech is: Working together to ensure South Africans value their identity and citizenship. In keeping with the topic of the previous debate, we recall the glorious 1956 women's march to the Union Buildings, led by Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophie de Bruyn and Amina Cachalia, to demand an end to the hated pass laws.
Among these women was the legendary Mama Albertina Sisulu, who recently joined the ranks of our departed heroes and heroines. We take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to the Sisulu family for having contributed this treasure of our people to a just cause for freedom, democracy and justice.
Critical to note, however, is that this march to the Union Buildings, was in essence about the restoration of the dignity, identity and citizenship of the majority of our people. It is an integral part of our overall struggle for the emancipation of our people from oppression.
Accordingly, today as we print new forms of identity documents, IDs, it is not simply a bureaucratic act; it is part of the historical mission to restore the dignity, identity and citizenship to all people, irrespective of colour, race, gender, religious beliefs and indeed sexual orientation.
Our budget speech also takes place against the context of yet another important date in the political calendar of our country. It is the date of the 35th anniversary of the 16 June 1976 student uprisings in Soweto and elsewhere in our country.
Last year we joined with our hon President and launched the national population registration campaign, which, inter alia, focuses on the issuing of IDs to young children on their 16th birthday.
In this regard, and as part of our contribution to the national commemoration services, the department deployed mobile units to all events organised by the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, across the country, to mark the 35th anniversary of 16 June.
It is our conviction that it is absolutely critical for young people to apply for IDs upon reaching the age of 16. They will be able to fully participate in opportunities presented by a normal, democratic society, such as access to the opportunity to write their matric examinations, which is a vital gateway to a prosperous future. Social services for citizens in need of government help may only be accessed with an identity document. We therefore reiterate our view that an ID is indeed a passport to a better life for all.
The Department of Home Affairs has extended online connectivity to 189 public and private hospitals, as well as other health facilities, to enable the registration of all child births within 30 days. Where no connectivity exists, we have deployed our staff to collect registration forms daily from health facilities, for processing in our offices. We will endeavour to extend this connectivity to many more areas in this financial year.
In this regard we are happy to report to this House that pursuant to this campaign, between April 2010 and March 2011, 500 000 births were registered within 30 days; 445 000 babies were registered after 30 days but before they reached the age of one year; a further 130 000 children were registered after one year but before the age of 15; and 190 000 were registered after their 16th birthday. These figures indicate that our countrymen and -women are indeed responding positively to the department's campaign, and are reversing the culture of disaffection that is deeply entrenched in the psyche of mainly formerly oppressed groupings in our country.
All these achievements were made possible by the strategic partnerships that the department has initiated in all provinces of our country, through the establishment of stakeholder forums in 254 local government structures. We hope to launch others in the remaining 28 areas in the near future. We take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to members of these stakeholder forums. They voluntarily contribute their time and effort while interrupting their busy schedules in the noble service of our people, without seeking material or financial reward.
These forums are very important to us because they enable the community to be involved in the direct governance processes within the department. They help monitor and assess the performance of our officials. They identify areas where the Home Affairs department has no footprint. They provide the necessary feedback from communities, and thus help us to improve on the delivery and extension of quality services to our people, both in urban and rural areas.
This month also marks the first anniversary since our country and its people successfully hosted the most beautiful spectacle in the world on our shores - the Fifa World Cup. We are indeed proud to have contributed to the hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup on behalf of the continent and thousands of football fans from across the world.
In collaboration with the SA Revenue Service we launched - as part of government guarantees to Fifa - the enhanced movement control system, which was rolled out at 34 priority air-, land- and seaports of entry. This system enabled the country to facilitate the smooth entry and exit of over two million visitors to our country, coinciding with the period of the World Cup.
Critical to note is that the system is integrated and linked to law- enforcement agencies, customs and the SA Revenue Service. Accordingly, and as part of the legacy, the system remains in place to assist us in ensuring a smooth immigration process, whilst simultaneously enabling the country to push back the frontiers of crime, fraud and corruption.
The success of the system was again highlighted during the recent investigation, which proved that a Somalian killed in Mogadishu recently was not in possession of a lawfully issued South African passport, but indeed held a very bad fake. The system proved without doubt that no movement into or out of the country by the deceased was recorded, nor would such a visit be possible, given the introduction of initiatives such as the advanced passenger processing system.
Two months ago the country once more witnessed successful democratic local government elections. In these elections the majority of our people were enabled to exercise their democratic right to vote for the candidates of their choice. This was made possible by the dedicated work of the Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, led by Dr Brigalia Bam and the chief executive officer, CEO, Adv Pansy Tlakula.
The IEC is one of the legal entities that support the work of the department. It is only correct therefore that we extend our deep gratitude to all members of the IEC for the sterling work done. It is for work done before, during and after the successive voter registration weekends, as well as on election day. They have certainly done our country and people proud. In this context, and as part of our commitment to assisting the IEC in meeting its obligations, we deployed mobile units to areas where the department did not have a footprint during the various dates of registration, including on election day.
On the other hand, staff at the Government Printing Works worked long hours to produce the requisite documents to enable members of the public to vote. We also opened all our offices to coincide with voter registration weekends and on the election day. We therefore want to thank the staff of the Department of Home Affairs and Government Printing Works. They made it possible to assist people with the issuing of temporary ID certificates and IDs to enable them to vote.
This financial year we will witness the prioritisation of a secure and effective management of immigration through, among other things the streamlining of our permitting regime and the use of the measures indicated earlier.
Critical to the effective management of immigration will be our co- operation with the Higher Education and Training and Economic Development Ministries, to proactively attract skills from abroad as part of government's New Growth Path, NGP. In this regard our department, which plays a facilitating role, has been charged with the responsibility to facilitate the entry of 50 000 critically skilled professionals in three years to support our national development priorities. The development of our own economy is partly a result of the sweat and blood of foreigners who, for years, have toiled on our mines, farms, factories and in other critical areas of our economy.
Accordingly, these critical skills, identified by the Ministry of Economic Development included, among others, engineers - civil, chemical, electrical and mechanical; agronomists; suitably qualified artisans; scientists; senior project managers; environmental experts; information and communication technology, ICT, specialists; economic planners; and others.
On Monday, 20 June, we joined the international community in commemorating World Refugee Day. The critical challenge arising from these international obligations, however, is the need for us to balance the need to offer asylum to those fleeing their countries of origin due to persecution with the need to maintain the security and integrity of our borders. This will also require co-operation with our regional partners. In pursuance thereof, we are currently reviewing and overhauling our asylumseeker management processes to ensure adequate capacity and expertise at all levels of the process to ensure its safety and efficiency.
During this last term the NCOP reviewed and passed amendments to the SA Citizenship, SA Births and Deaths Registration, and Refugees and Immigration Acts, as well as the Municipal Electoral Bill. We are happy to report that the SA Citizenship and the SA Births and Deaths Registration Amendment Bills have now been assented into law. They will become effective as soon as we have finalised the regulations governing their implementation.
Last year we successfully concluded the documentation process of Zimbabweans who were residing illegally in our country. In this regard a total of over 275 000 Zimbabweans came forth to apply for work, business and study permits. Again, this was made possible by the strategic partnership, created by the department in the form of a South Africa- Zimbabwe stakeholder forum. It consists of representatives of the government of Zimbabwe, nongovernmental organisations and various Zimbabwean political formations operating in our country. With everything remaining the same, and all partners co-operating to the fullest extent, we should be able to conclude the process of adjudication of all these applications by the end of July this year.
We have prioritised the improvement of the security of our systems, while ensuring effective and efficient delivery of quality services to our people. Accordingly, we are in the process of discussions with many countries as to the best international practice in the field of immigration and civic management.
As part of our commitment to building a new Department of Home Affairs, we are working towards reversing the trend of qualified audits. Members would be glad to hear this. In this regard we reiterate our commitment to working towards an unqualified audit in 2011-12, with a clean audit by 2012-13. We have strengthened our finance unit to lead our efforts in pursuance of this objective.
We have introduced a new corporate model, which resulted in the refurbishment of 30 offices across the country. The model includes the implementation of a queue management system in 13 of our offices, which will be rolled out to all other areas in the country in due course. Our offices are now open to the public from 07:30 to 16:30 on weekdays and from 08:30 to 12:30 on Saturdays. All these efforts require that we increase our human resource capacity.
My time has expired, but there are many more of our successes that I could have told you about. I do thank you all for your attention. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister Chohan and her team from the department, hon members of this House, distinguished guests, I rise in support of the Budget Vote of the Department of Home Affairs. Mindful of the many challenges that are still facing the Department of Home Affairs, I want to congratulate the hon Minister, the hon Deputy Minister, the department and all relevant stakeholders for the remarkable and visible progress that was made during the past year under the competent leadership and guidance of the hon Minister. With the centenary celebrations of the establishment of the ANC on 8 January 2011 and as alluded to by the hon Minister in her Budget speech in the National Assembly, "We must, as a nation, pause and reflect how the South Africa of 1912 looked in order to appreciate the progress thus far". Successive colonial and apartheid regimes used the system and immigration control as part of their tools to convert South Africa into a colony of a special type. While immigration of whites was encouraged and assisted as part of a deliberate recruitment programme, blacks were carted through controlled immigration and forced removals to areas that were reserved for occupation by blacks, called black reserves.
The Immigration Regulation Act, Act 22 of 1913, for instance, prescribed the movement of black people in South Africa and made them foreigners in the land of their birth. Hon members will remember the days when our mothers and fathers had to carry a dompas wherever they went. If found not carrying one of these documents, they would be forcefully arrested. I cannot forget the days when one's door would be kicked down in the early hours of the morning by the police looking for people who did not have identity documents, IDs.
Sovereignty vests in the people of South Africa. Their will is expressed by their democratically elected representatives in periodic, free and fair elections. The goal of the ANC ever since it was formed in 1912 has been to give all the people of our country the chance to choose their government. That is why generations of our leaders and members set their sights on the objective of a new and democratic Constitution which has, at long last, removed the colonial status of African people, abolished all forms of apartheid and discrimination, and recognised the basic equality of all South Africans.
We witnessed, yet again, another credible, free and fair election at local government level about a month ago. [Interjections.] Definitely free and fair. This is evidence of the ANC's vision and dream for democracy, and confirmation that the Department of Home Affairs has fulfilled its constitutional mandate to support the work of the Independent Electoral Commission, the IEC. [Interjections.] We thank you, Deputy Minister.
At its formation in 1912 the ANC became the pivot of African unity in South Africa and beyond. Its broad outward-looking nationalism reflected both the humanist traditions of African democratic inclusiveness and the universalist values of the major religions of the world. The ANC's formation stirred the imagination of our continent.
The ANC's vision for the future was always based on the basic objectives of its policy. Just to cite two: to strive for the achievement of the right of all South Africans as a whole to political and economic self-determination in a united South Africa; and to overcome the legacy of inequality and injustice created by colonialism and apartheid in a swift, progressive and principled way.
The constitutional mandate of the Department of Home Affairs is, on the one hand, as custodian of the identity of all South African citizens. This includes the issuing of birth, marriage and death certificates, identity documents and passports, citizenship, naturalisation and permanent residence certificates. On the other hand, it is the effective, secure and humane management of immigration. It is necessary to assess the challenges facing the Department of Home Affairs against existing policy as well as the successes and progress as outlined by the hon Minister, and the priorities and objectives as set out in the department's strategic plan.
The department's role to regulate the movement of people, particularly relating to issues of immigration, refugees and asylumseekers, is central to its role in building constitutional democracy and a developmental state, permitting active involvement of the people, and striving for excellence in corporate governance and accountability. It is noted that the department's turnaround time with the issuing of identity documents has improved. Measures to improve it further are in place, and this is welcomed.
It is, however, still a challenge that the registration of the births of almost 460 000 babies took up to a year. Also, the fact that more than 750 000 IDs, mostly reissues, have not been collected raises a challenge, Deputy Minister. Many of these uncollected IDs belong to young people, especially those under the age of 17, who apparently saw little use for them at the time and then failed to collect them. This state of affairs undermines democracy and will have to be innovatively addressed.
The Minister and the Deputy Minister are applauded for the rapid and efficient facilitation of almost 2,4 million visitors to South Africa during the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup tournament over a very short period of time. This is a clear indication that the department has the ability to perform.
Another challenge is the audit outcomes, as outlined in the audit report of the Auditor-General. Although there was a marked improvement from previous years, the qualified audit - as a result of one qualification relating to asset management - remains a challenge. Financial and asset management will therefore have to be strengthened further and the audit issues be cleared to achieve an unqualified audit report. I know you are capable of doing that, Deputy Minister.
Immigration is a major challenge, and it is noted and welcomed that the department is prioritising immigration during the 2011-12 financial year. It is also welcomed that the department will work closely with other departments over the next three years to proactively attract critical skills as part of government's New Growth Path.
The ANC's policy on immigration and asylumseekers is very clear. If immigration is managed properly and responsibly it can lead to development and economic growth. As the hon Minister has correctly pointed out, immigration must therefore be managed effectively to protect our sovereignty and secure South Africans from the threat of transnational crime and terrorism and human trafficking.
Increased immigration was a predictable consequence of South Africa's breakthrough in 1994. This, however, does not tell the whole story of undocumented immigrants who cross South Africa's borders in search of safety and better opportunities. There are thousands of foreign nationals who, while they do not possess legal documents, stay undetected in the country for long periods of time. In addition, there are thousands of immigrants from the continent who are refugees, and others who hold various types of permits, including documents for work and study purposes.
It was obvious that the new conditions of democracy, peace, justice and prosperity in South Africa after 1994 would bring many immigrants to the country, especially from the African continent. The new arrivals, in the main, comprised asylumseekers from political conflicts in some parts of the continent, as well as economic refugees. Among them were people who would have come to South Africa a long time ago but who were prevented from doing so by apartheid.
While the free movement of capital and goods across national borders is growing, the movement of people across borders - especially the movement of unskilled labour from less developed countries to developed countries - is becoming circumscribed. This is a global phenomenon. During the last year, for instance, more refugees and asylumseekers came to South Africa than all the countries in the European Union collectively. Another serious challenge is the fact that the marked rise in recent years in the number of immigrants to South Africa has been accompanied by an increase in visible acts of xenophobia against non-South Africans, particularly those from other African countries.
Xenophobia, a global problem which is evident in parts of South Africa from time to time, is in sharp conflict with the strong culture of the majority of its people. It is fitting that all South Africans should condemn these barbaric acts against people from other countries, particularly here in Africa. The relationship between xenophobia and racism is inextricable. Both are manifestations of intolerance towards people who are different and, at the same time, express real differences in power and control over resources. Fighting xenophobia is a huge challenge for the Department of Home Affairs. All South Africans must therefore be committed to upholding the letter and the spirit of the Constitution, which protects the human rights of both South Africans and migrants. That is why the ANC supported the establishment of a human rights-based system for migration control through legislation that meets four objectives, which include: the promotion of a human rights-based culture in both government and civil society; and respect for migration control.
The Department of Home Affairs has to accelerate partnership-based approaches. There is a need to strengthen the border posts. Not only is it necessary to speed up satellite infrastructure to ensure connectivity, but it is equally important to have the border post network incorporated into the overall departmental network. Training courses for immigration staff could further assist with immigration along with the streamlining of the issuing of permits with clear guidelines determining which permits could be issued to refugees and asylumseekers. I thank you.
Hon Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister Chohan-Kota, hon members, departmental delegation, comrades and distinguished guests, Constitutional Principles 1 and 7 of Schedule 5 of the 1993 Interim Constitution read as follows:
The Constitution of South Africa shall provide for the establishment of one sovereign state, a common South African citizenship and a democratic system of government committed to achieving equality between men and women and people of all races. There shall be representative government embracing multiparty democracy, regular elections, universal adult suffrage, a common voters' roll, and, in general, proportional representation.
The ANC - the organisation launched to unite our people and deliver services to all, irrespective of race, class or gender - views the Budget Vote of Home Affairs within the constitutional responsibilities and obligations of the state. This being the case, the ANC's policy formulation seeks to address the following: the revision of the Immigration Act, Act 13 of 2002, to guarantee that it promotes development while addressing national and regional security concerns, through the introduction of stringent screening processes to prevent law fugitives from other countries from entering the country on the pretext of being refugees; promoting the fight against xenophobia and facilitation of social integration of refugees; and declaring immigration officers and other strategic components of Home Affairs, such as those dealing with death registration, as essential services.
The Constitution places a huge responsibility on the shoulders of Home Affairs. Home Affairs, in particular, has the responsibility of securing the integrity, identity and status of citizens.
The magnitude of this constitutional responsibility means that Home Affairs is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all South Africans of 16 years and older, possess birth registration certificates and ID books; that economic migrants have been separated from genuine asylumseekers; that fraud and corruption has been curtailed; and that the National Population Register, NPR, has integrity.
The department has demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt that its heart lies with the people. It has been an epitome of a caring developmental state that knows where the people are.
In his 2011 state of the nation address, President Zuma said:
We are concerned that unemployment and poverty persist despite the economic growth experienced in the past 10 years. To address these concerns, we have declared 2011 a year of job creation through meaningful economic transformation and inclusive growth.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon each government department to realise this imperative.
In respect of job creation, Home Affairs has been able to identify 417 priority posts and these were funded posts in 2010-11. Of these 417 posts, 254 have been filled to date, which represents 60% of the total. Prevailing unemployment levels and the need for Home Affairs to build its capacity to deliver on its mandate make it essential that the remaining 40% unfilled posts be addressed as soon as it is reasonably possible to do so.
We are also concerned that in the 2009-10 financial year the department had acting positions beyond the legal limit of 12 months and consequently disclosed R5,8 million expenditure as irregular. We urge urgent attendance to these matters, which otherwise threaten to blemish the good image of this department. We certainly in no doubt as to the department's commitment to realising the creation of decent jobs and sustainable livelihoods.
Outcome 5 of the 12 priorities of government talks about "A skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive growth path". In this regard, Home Affairs should focus on critical skills shortage, supportive of the medium-term strategies and outcomes adopted by government. Furthermore, outcome 12 of the 12 priorities of government talks about "An efficient and development-oriented Public Service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship".
The implications of the two outcomes is that Home Affairs will have to ensure service delivery access and quality in order to achieve, among other things, the following: the registration of every child birth within 30 days; the issuing of identity documents to every South African 16 years and above; integrated key systems and upgraded information and technology, IT, infrastructure for improved security and data integrity; improved turnaround times for all services, queuing time and unit costs per service; and reduced maximum distance for a citizen to travel to access Home Affairs services.
Turning to gender equity and the Department of Home Affairs, the ANC continues not only to fight for gender equity, but to exemplify it through its internal processes. Section 9 of the South African Constitution entrenches equality in that it prohibits unfair discrimination on the basis of gender. As a United Nations, UN, member state, we are signatories to the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, and MDG 3 enjoins us to promote gender equality and women empowerment. We note that Home Affairs has not yet reached gender parity in its staff component, and this weakness needs to be corrected going forward.
As I have outlined, it is the responsibility of every department to contribute to job creation and the New Economic Growth Path. This Budget Vote, therefore, needs to speak to this. Job driver 4 of the New Growth Path speaks to investing in social capital and public services, which has a direct bearing upon Home Affairs. The New Growth Path outlines that the Public Service can generate 100 000 jobs by 2020 across a broad range of departments, even if the Public Service grows only by 1% per annum.
In addition, there are huge possibilities for Home Affairs through the public employment schemes to create employment. The key challenge for this Budget Vote is to identify clearly where jobs can be created within the Budget Vote that has been allocated. Here I am not just speaking of the vacant funded posts, but the initiatives that can lead to and result in employment creation. As the New Growth Path articulates, all of these initiatives will require comprehensive departmental support, and we need to see evidence of this in the Budget Vote.
What this practically means is that targets are being set by Cabinet for growth in the Public Service in line with the New Growth Path, to meet specific national needs. Home Affairs meets the criteria of specific national needs by virtue of it being one of the frontline service delivery departments. The youth brigades that have been established in other departments need to take root in Home Affairs as well. For example, the intergovernmental relationship between the Departments of Rural Development and Land Reform, and Home Affairs must mean that the 8 000 brigades in Rural Development are going to interface and bring new areas of growth for Home Affairs, all of which could result in expansion of services through Home Affairs in rural areas. Does this Budget Vote speak to these possibilities or does the focus remain inward-looking and fixed on the notion of funded vacant posts?
Exposing young people to work experience through internships is already established in the Public Service and the ANC would call for the expansion of this programme, especially for a department such as Home Affairs.
In anticipation of the response to what I have just said, let me add that the expansion of public employment will require budgeting and a strategy to ensure both affordability and cost effectiveness. It is within this context that I express reservation in the actual decline in Budget Vote allocations for this financial year for the citizenship programme and immigration services. This is a cause for concern and needs to be addressed in this debate. I am mindful of the fact that there have been savings and cost- effective measures of R15 million for this year, which is welcomed, but the overall decline in the Budget Vote for this year far exceeds this amount. We need to get answers to this in the debate today.
The ANC supports the Home Affairs Budget. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chair, hon Deputy Minister, hon members and guests, I salute you. Deputy Minister, your department has unfortunately presented a strategic plan for the next few years that faces a lot of challenges, as the ANC government would normally call it - instead of using the words, "set up for failure".
The target for the reissuing of ID books in 2010 was 35 days; and now for 2011 is 47 days. The target for the issuing of passports in 2010 was 10 days; for 2011 it is 13 days. Your department is actually planning for a decline in service delivery levels.
The 100% price increase of passports to R400 is just mind-boggling when looking at the unemployment figures and the economic situation, the majority of South Africans find themselves in. Are we really thinking about the poor?
As my colleague in the National Assembly would put it, and I quote, "A violation of human rights and an assault on the Constitution undermines the dignity of our people."
In 2010 the department committed itself to the target of 85% of all applications for birth, marriage and death certificates for new registrations to be correctly processed and issued within one day. However, this target was not met because the required modification functions could not be developed due to a lack of programming expertise in the department.
Furthermore, the slow turnaround time for unabridged birth, marriage and death certificates was due to an outdated record management system. The budget of R5,4 million is not clear on all details. I believe that the department is not open and frank with us on all activities. Look at the budget for the "Who am I Online" programme. The Minister reinstated Gijima. We are wondering if some high ANC comrades are benefiting; or if it is payback time for the ANC's 2009 campaign that was funded by Gijima. This has to be investigated. Surely, as always, it will die a silent death, as we all know.
The transfers to agencies programmes provide financial support to three of the department's entities - the Film and Publication Board, the Government Printing Works and the Independent Electoral Commission.
While on the subject of the IEC, South Africa has the technology to implement an electronic voting system with the great telecom and data infrastructure that we have. Why are we still voting on ballot papers? The only answer that comes to my mind is the political will of the ruling party playing a role in this. Ballot papers could be counted wrongly or get lost - hundreds at a time. It is all the order of the day.
The department should take off its political boots, as previously mentioned with Gijima. The Smart Card ID project was suspended by the Minister of Home Affairs in order to conduct a forensic investigation on tender processes which were not completed by the State Information Technology Agency.
Though the Minister has put the project on hold due to the identified uncertainties, delaying the roll-out of the Smart Card since 2006, the Department of Home Affairs came ninth in a survey that was conducted on companies and was the least sought out of these entities that people wish to work for. This is no wonder, as corruption is also striking at those who still believe in right and wrong.
The DA calls on the Minister to investigate the connection between the fraudulent procurement of South African passports from the department and international terrorism. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a key figure in Al Qaeda and the mastermind of the 1998 US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, was killed in a shootout two weeks ago. Surprisingly, he was found in possession of a South African passport.
In 2004, a Tunisian Al Qaeda suspect, Ihsan Garnaoui, told German investigators that he had a number of South African passports. In 2006, Mohammed Gulzar entered Britain with a South African passport under the name Altaf Ravat, allegedly with the intention to blow up a trans-Atlantic airliner in mid-flight.
South Africa is becoming a safe haven for political criminals. There are questions being asked recently: Will the ANC government help out their old friend Muammar Gaddafi, giving him political asylum after his disregard for human rights and being a killer of his own people? I would like to see how this chapter closes. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs ...
... Malungu ahloniphekile ale Ndlu, abasebenzi balo Mnyango wezaseKhaya, mhlonishwa Sekela likaNgqongqoshe, kubaluleke kakhulu ukuba sazi ukuthi uMnyango eniwusebenzelayo noma eniwuphethe, uyinhliziyo yaleli lizwe lethu laseNingizimu Afrika jikelele, futhi uyigugu elibalulekile kithi kunayo yonke iMinyango kahulumeni.
Lo Mnyango ukwazi ukunikeza abantu omazisi kanye nesithunzi sobuntu kumuntu ngamunye. Okhulume ngaphambi kwami ushilo ukuthi uMnyango ukwazi ukubhalisa abantu abashonile, abazalwayo kanye nabafikayo. Kunezinto eziye zingiphathe kabi ezenzekayo, njengokugcwala kwabantu bokufika kuleli zwe, ngiyabona ukuthi uMnyango awunazo izindlela zokwehlisa ukungena nokuphuma kwabantu kuleli lizwe.
Akufuneki sedlulwe ngamazwe anjengoSwazini, lapho uma bekunike izinsuku eziyi-14 usezweni labo, uma ziphela lezo zinsuku ungabonakali, bayakuthungatha bathole ukuthi ukuphi nezwe; eLesotho nabo benza okufanayo.
Thina njengezwe yini pho esihlulayo ukuba senze into enjengaleyo? Ngikusho lokhu ngikuqonda ukuthi la mazwe abe nosizo olungakanani kithi, kodwa ngiyakuqonda futhi nokuthi abantu kudingeka balawulwe ukuthi bangena kanjani ezweni lakithi.
Okunye, mhlonishwa Sekela likaNgqongqoshe, angazi ukuthi ingabe nguwe noma yinhloko yoMnyango wakho, ovele wakhuphula imali yokuthatha omazisi. Lokhu kukhuphuka kuyamangalisa impela, ukuthi kungathi sibhubha impela yindlala, bese kuthiwa umazisi wenziwa nge-R140 kuthuleke nje kuthi nya.
Leyonto yimbi kabi, amaphasiphoti ayi-R190 kuya kuma-R400. Yinto esingeke sikwazi ukuyibekezelela ngoba kukhona abantu bakithi esingeke sakuphika ukuthi bampofu kakhulu, abangasebenzi usuku ngosuku. Yizinto zonke lezo okufuneka ukuthi sizibhekisise ukuthi zihamba kanjani.
Mhlonishwa Sekela likaNgqongqoshe, ngiyazi ukuthi uMnyango wakho uphathiswe ukubheka ukuthi iKhomishani yoKhetho iziphatha kanjani.
Le Khomishani yoKhetho kufuneka ukuthi niyivakashele, niyibhekisise ukuthi yini ibe nabantu ababizwa ngokuthi ngama-PEO, kuthiwa bayizisebenzi ezigcwele. Leso sikhundla somsebenzi sisezingeni le-13, kanti uMnyango wakho wezaseKhaya unenkotileka yeminyaka emihlanu; leyonto leyo iyohlala ihlupha ezweni ngoba umuntu uma esesebenze ngaphezu kweminyaka emihlanu usuke esazi ukuthi kusekhaya, kusenxiweni noma elawini lakhe lokulala emsebenzini. Yindawo ehloniphekile le ekufuneka silandele isahluko soMthethosisekelo mayelana nokuthi ihamba kanjani.
I-IEC ngiyazi ukuthi iwuphiko oluzimele kodwa kumele kube nemikhawulo ngoba nayo yabelwa imali kuyo le Ndlu. Ngibonge Sihlalo. Siyasisekela iSabelomali. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[... Hon members of this House, staff of the Department of Home Affairs, hon Deputy Minister, it is crucial to acknowledge that the department which you work for, or which is under your control, is the heart of South Africa, and it is a great treasure to us - more than all other government departments.
This department is able to issue identity documents to people and by so doing gives dignity to each person. The previous speaker did mention that the department is able to keep records of deaths, births and immigrants. There is an issue that disturbs me, and it is that of foreigners flocking to our country. I realise that the department does not have mechanisms in place to control the immigration and emigration of people.
We should not be outshone by countries like Swaziland where one can stay in the country for 14 days, and if your whereabouts is not known after the expiration of your stay, they search for you to find out where you are. The same applies in Lesotho.
Why don't we do the same? I raise this concern being fully aware of how helpful these countries were to us, but I also understand that there should be a controlling mechanism in place in respect of people coming into our country.
Also, hon Deputy Minister, I am not sure whether it is you or the head of the department who just raised the issue of money being paid when people apply for IDs. This increase is indeed surprising. While we are struggling with poverty, the ID application fee goes up to R140 and everything seems just fine.
This is very bad. They now charge between R190 and R400 for passports. We cannot allow this to happen, because we cannot deny that some of our people are extremely poor, since they are not working. These are the issues we must always take into consideration and question.
Hon Deputy Minister, I know that your department is also tasked with keeping an eye on how the IEC conducts itself.
You have to visit this IEC and investigate why it has people called PEOs who are said to be full-time workers. This position is at level 13, whereas your department has a five-year contract. This will always be problematic for the country because anyone who has worked for more than five years thinks that he or she is at home and does as he or she pleases. This is a critical area where we have to follow a section of the Constitution to see how it is done.
I know that the IEC is an independent body, but there should be limitations because it, too, gets its funding from this House. Thank you, Chairperson. We support the Budget Vote. [Applause.]]
House Chair and Deputy Minister, I would like to start this debate by borrowing courageous words from the world-renowned strategist, Sun Tzu, when he said:
When you do battle, even if you are winning, if you continue for a long time it will dull your forces and blunt your edge; ... your strength will be exhausted if you keep your armies out in the field for a long time, your supplies will be insufficient.
We must, Chair, appreciate, where it is due, the effort taken by the Ministry and its department to digitalise and reconstruct the Department of Home Affairs after it was hit by a cataclysm of corruption. The Department of Home Affairs has to utilise its allocated budget efficiently to accelerate service delivery, continue to fight corruption and create decent jobs. The other major challenges are to deal decisively with the fraudulent identity document, ID, scam where fake identity documents are used to perpetuate criminal activities.
This department deals with tourists, immigrants, asylumseekers, refugees and South Africans alike on a daily basis. Therefore, the frontline staff in these areas must always be up to their task and well trained, and they must desist from participating in well-orchestrated corruption and fraud. Poor performance cannot be rewarded. The department cannot afford to pay out bonuses to underperforming staff. A United Nations special report on human rights stated earlier this year that whilst South Africa has a fine Constitution, its handling of illegal migrants is not par excellence. It is therefore vital for the Department of Home Affairs to recognise and measure the scale of undocumented migrant labour in South Africa.
Another fundamental issue is the cost of litigation against the Department of Home Affairs because of the shortcomings and the failures of the department itself. The legal challenges that have faced the department are ones in which the department has failed to deliver basic services or acted in a potentially unlawful manner. It is a concern when people have to take the department to court in order to get it to perform its mandated duties. Furthermore, it comes at a great expense not only to the South African public but also to the person who is being denied services from the department.
In conclusion, Chair, the Department of Home Affairs has come a long way in rebuilding its image in the broadest community sense, and in winning back the trust of its clients. The Minister and Deputy Minister must marshal their armies to the task at hand and never look back. Cope supports the Budget Vote.
Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister Chohan, hon members, comrades, and distinguished guests ...
... pele ke eya tokomaneng ye ke e ngwadilego, ke rata go gopot?a mohl Faber gore a se ke a re seo se ?et?ego se hlalosit?we morago ga gore se diragale a be a etla mo Palamenteng gomme a nt?ha batho le Palamente tseleng. O re pasporoto ye motho a bego a tsamaya ka yona ke ya Afrika- Borwa. Pasporoto ye e be e se ya mo Afrika-Borwa, e be e le ya maaka. Bjale, mohlomphegi, o se ke wa tla mo Palamenteng wa fihla wa bolela selo seo se sego gona. Kgoro e e hlalosit?e taba ye. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[... before I continue with this document, I would like to remind hon Faber not to take us back and lead us astray. He says that a person carried a South African passport when it was actually a fraudulent passport. Hon Faber, please do not come here and tell us something that does not exist. The department has explained that.]
Chair, in considering this Budget Vote today, we must assess its adequacy and effectiveness against the vision that has been set by Cabinet and translated by the Department of Home Affairs. This vision is a safe, secure South Africa where all of its people are proud of and value their identity and citizenship. The mission goes further to speak of the efficient determination and safeguarding of the identity of the status of citizens and the regulation of immigration to ensure security, promote development and fulfil our international obligations.
Chairperson, what it therefore means is that the value the Department of Home Affairs commits itself to, is one of being people-centred, caring, patriotic, professional and having integrity, corruption-free ethical, efficient and innovative. As these debates are policy debates, let me speak to ANC policy and priorities on certain key aspects of this Budget Vote.
Of the 12 Medium-Term Strategic Framework government priority outcomes, Home Affairs has the responsibility to contribute to Outcome 3, and that outcome says that all people in South Africa are free and safe. The ANC's observation of the response of Home Affairs to this is reflected in the increased security of the identity and status of citizens that we have witnessed over the past 24 months. This has included effective and efficient refugee management strategies and systems to ensure that registration at birth is the only entry point for South Africans to the national population register; increased security of processes and systems to combat fraud and corruption; increased capacity to contribute to the fight against cyber crime; and the internationally accredited implementation of effective and efficient strategies to deal with asylumseekers and refugees.
Chairperson, let me dwell for a while on the budget prioritisation of this Budget Vote. The 2011-12 budget is weighted towards the citizen affairs programme, whose allocation has been reduced by 40%. It is a top priority to ensure that every South African is given the secure identity and citizenship that is their birth right, won through bitter struggles and great sacrifices. Therefore, an increased allocation to the aforementioned programme is more than justified. The budget contraction cannot in the context of the foregoing be justified. Given the current objective priority, the 55% contraction of the immigration services budget is difficult to rationalise. Push and pull factors favour the rise of immigration into the Republic. Immigration has inherent opportunities and threats which need to be attended to meticulously and precisely, averting both conflation and misdiagnoses.
The response to asylumseeking is essentially a humanitarian intervention. Chairperson, in addition to having been elected to give form to the New Economic Growth Path, South Africa needs skilled personnel to drive such growth. Whilst it is possible to produce such skills internally, an external injection of skills into the economy is required, and this in itself brings strain to Home Affairs.
Chairperson, in concluding on the actual vote of funds, it is a struggle to reconcile the critical nature of the mandate of Home Affairs to the operations of the developmental state with an 11% - in real terms - contraction of its budget from R5,8 billion to R5,5 billion. Home Affairs is about service delivery and the value attached to this budget contraction translates into weakened capacity to realise goals and curbing of the intermittent influx of challenges. Having said this, there can be no doubt that the orientation of Home Affairs is pro-poor. The fact that the National Population Register Campaign was launched in the rural town of Libode signals the pro-poor stance of Home Affairs. The National Population Register Campaign is planned to continue for at least two or more years. Through stakeholder forums Home Affairs is poised to reach, inter alia, workers who are isolated on farms, people who are institutionalised and vulnerable groups such as children in child-headed households and those in remote areas.
A budget allocation biased towards citizen affairs is arguably pro-poor, given that under apartheid the best of Africans, in particular, were often not registered; and this phenomenon invaded the democratic dispensation in communities that are remote or marginalised. This pro-poor inference is further validated on the grounds that apartheid social engineering has created a legacy of chronic poverty and underdevelopment among Africans in general and rural dwellers in particular.
Let me turn to ownership and application of documents as a fundamental thrust of Home Affairs in our commitment to meet the Millennium Development Goals and the resolution of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The issuing of identity documents and birth registration certificates is linked to the facilitation of access to social grants - a means to alleviate poverty and hunger. Does this duty of Home Affairs contribute directly to the realisation of Millennium Development Goal 1 - the eradication of poverty and hunger? Securing the integrity of the National Population Register is linked to empowering women, as it facilitates their participation in economic affairs, strengthens the legitimacy of compensation, inheritance and claims relating to women beneficiaries in the main. In that regard it contributes to the achievements of Millennium Development Goal 3 - to promote gender equality and empower women.
Chairperson, the African Charter on Human and People's Rights is a very important document to reflect on for this Budget Vote debate. Amongst other things it says, "Every individual shall have the right to leave any country including his own ..." This right may be subject to restriction, provided by law for the protection of national security, law and order, public health and morality. It should therefore follow that any legal limitation of people's movement should serve the national interest and enhance national security. The asylumseeker process poses a serious threat to our national security and to the integrity of the immigration system.
As a country we are committed to play our part as hosts to those who have well-founded reasons to fear for their lives and who require refugee status, as defined in various international instruments. In the same vein, we are determined to obviate any abuse, overt or covert, of the system and to strengthen the asylumseeker process.
Chairperson, we are encouraged by the department's commitment to combating fraud and corruption as envisaged in its plan to effect, inter alia, proactive performance of a detailed data analysis to identify and investigate corrupt activities, increased vetting capacity, through an agreement with the State Security Agency to help with vetting investigations and possible evaluations and analysis, and lastly, close co- operation with law enforcement, state security and other pertinent agencies to ensure successful prosecution of corrupt officials. Chairperson, the ANC supports Budget Vote No 4: Home Affairs. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, on behalf of the Minister and the department, I want to very quickly extend my gratitude to all the hon members who have participated in this debate. Before I respond to members, I do want to extend an invitation, on behalf of the Film and Publication Board, to all members to come and sit and watch with us a screening of the movie entitled Trust this afternoon at 13:00 at the BMW Pavilion at the Waterfront. The movie will only be on circuit in October in this country and we are inviting all of you to a sneak preview this afternoon. We do hope that you will be able to join us. I thank, in particular, the chairperson for a very considered speech. We certainly agree. The issue of xenophobia was raised by both the chairperson and the hon Rantho. We immediately would want to lend our voice to those of you in the House who have seen it fit to condemn such tendencies. We have recently deployed our stakeholder forums - which I spoke about in my speech - very effectively in Soweto, where we heard that there was tension brewing between local businesses that are owned by South Africans and local businesses that are owned by foreign nationals.
These stakeholder forums provided a platform for dialogue, and the dialogue was then able to defuse the kind of tension that arises out of what is essentially misunderstanding and a lack of appreciation that most foreigners who are legally in our country, actually contribute to the opportunities of South Africans, rather than detracting from them. I do think and hope that the hon members, who are leaders in their communities, would take the opportunity at every turn to raise these issues with people who have and hold other views and attitudes.
Certainly, on the vacancies, we have heard - and, more importantly, the leadership of the departments who are here have heard - the hon members on the issue, and we will certainly have to pull up our socks as a department on that score. We may say to you though that as far as our vacancies pertaining to management are concerned, we have managed to fill almost 100% of those vacancies. Clearly, we have to do more; and more we shall do.
An internship programme is already under way. I, for one, when I came to office in November last year, found a very able young lady in my office who is an intern, and I must say it was a very fruitful engagement and a mutually beneficial time was experienced by all in the office.
On the issue of the budgets - raised very starkly by many members, including the hon Mashamaite - the local government elections, together with the World Cup hosted by us last year, which of course was a onceoff expenditure, contributed partly to the reductions you have referred to in relation to the fiscus. All departments will stand before you, as hon members, to ask for money. We do hope that whenever we do that, members will support our call.
On the issue raised by the hon Zulu, I believe that a lot was lost in the translation, as I only caught part of the speech. I hope I have got the right end of the stick. The reasons for the increase in tariffs really relate to the cost of production of these documents. In her speech the hon chairperson raised the unfortunate phenomenon of having approximately 750 000 documents in our possession in our offices, which are uncollected reissues. This costs a huge amount of money. One of the aspects raised with us by National Treasury was the stipulated cost of production. We have done that, and it was approved by National Treasury. Certainly, reissues of IDs will cost R140.
That is not to say that the first issue of the ID will cost you that amount of money. Indeed, your first issue is issued to you free of charge. You will only have to pay that money when you do not look after your ID and when you lose it, or if you have forgotten your ID at home and it is more convenient for you to go to Home Affairs and apply for a temporary ID and use that instead.
Let me also deal with the case of disasters. I have had the opportunity over the past few months to visit many communities, particularly in the informal settlements where fires have ravished people's homes and all their belongings. In such instances we do issue and reissue those IDs free of charge.
On the issue of passports, I assume, hon Zulu, that if you don't have R400 to spend on a passport, you will not be able to buy a ticket on British Airways to fly to London either. That clearly is not an argument we can accept.
Lastly, hon Faber, if you can stop speaking for a moment, I can address it. It must be wonderful, hon Faber, to live in cloud-cuckoo-land. I don't understand how on earth you can think that Home Affairs is a sausage factory, producing sausages in less and less time.
Hon Deputy Minister.
We produce security documents and we are on course to be part of an international benchmark that allows for the time limits that you have stipulated, and we are quite happy with that report. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.