Chairperson, hon Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, Maggie Maunye, and members of the committee, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Ms Chohan, and hon members of the National Assembly, you often find that Ministers who are new to a portfolio are tempted to develop new policy, amend legislation and seek to create a personal history. I find this a hazardous path to take, particularly in the third year of a term of government. The policies and objectives of the department are my mandate and my focus. The priorities are the following: to register all births within 30 days of birth; to ensure all 16-year-olds apply for and receive identity documents, IDs; to enhance security by creating a reliable National Population Register that is supported by modern technology and effective administration; to ensure we have ports of entry that are modern, secure, efficient and reliable; to administer our immigration policy in a manner that supports national priorities of skills acquisition, job creation and inclusive growth; to meet our international obligations with respect to asylum seekers and refugees and thus to promote human dignity and respect for all; and to support our national security in collaboration with the Security cluster.
This budget speech takes place against the backdrop of the 19th celebration of the dawn of peace and freedom in our country and the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Organisation of African Unity. Whenever we debate our progress, we should always remember that the freedom we celebrate is a consequence of the sacrifice and heroism of the many millions who contributed to ending the scourge of apartheid. Our work today responds to both the legacy of apartheid and the opportunities that result from freedom. Since 1994, our ANC government has worked hard to ensure the Department of Home Affairs restores dignity to all, creates systems for a secure identity and promotes international friendships. We have also played a full role in supporting government to achieve the outcomes and policies adopted in 2009. Our budget this financial year is set at R6,7 billion. Our departmental programmes receive R4,8 billion. The Film and Publication Board will receive R82 million. The Electoral Commission will receive R1,6 billion. Members will understand that when we have an election, they are responsible for party-political funding as well, so it is not that they are suddenly richer. The Government Printing Works will receive R134 million.
As we work to implement our programmes, we will intensify our campaign directed towards developing the National Population Register. This campaign is to create a secure South African citizenship database and a secure identity. I believe we will have succeeded in this when we have birth registration as the only point of entry into our National Population Register. Our priority is to register children within 30 days of birth. We have connected hospitals and other health care centres to our database, and babies can now be registered at the place of birth.
We registered 602 530 births in 2012 and intend to expand this number by at least 8% each year. First prize is that every child born in our country must be registered within 30 days of birth. We will intensify our outreach campaigns to reach families in our most marginal communities and will work closely with all our stakeholder forums to popularise registration of births. It has not yet become common practice in South Africa for all families to register children at birth. We have to make this a natural part of our community and family life. [Applause.]
We will continue to offer late registration of births, which is part of the services offered within Home Affairs, but I am proposing that this House agrees that we stop this service in 2015, because it opens us up to a lot of abuse, a lot of identity theft, and a lot of trafficking of children. I believe we have to stop this practice. The year 2015 should be our cut-off date, should the House agree. [Applause.]
This year, we introduced on-the-spot, unabridged birth certificate issuing. This is another advance towards our objective of a trustworthy National Population Register. The certificate is secure and reliable. It carries the names and identity numbers of both parents. It will help us to eliminate fraud, multiple visits to our offices, the pain of not being able to trace your family tree, and the piling up of paper documents in the department.
We have seen some challenges with respect to implementing this particular new, unabridged birth certificate. We find that we are not attending fully to the registration of children born to foreign nationals and, at times, there is reluctance, Mr Mnqasela, among fathers to be included on the unabridged birth certificate. [Interjections.] This is a matter we hope the gentlemen in our country will assist us with to ensure that we do have both parents on the birth certificates of all the children of our country. [Applause.] We will intensify communication and education and improve the systems that we are currently utilising. We want all fathers to accept it when they have given rise to children. [Applause.]
We also are proceeding to intensify our activity with respect to the ID registration campaign. We want to have all young people of 16 years and above holding an ID. We want to work together with the Ministry of Basic Education and our community stakeholder forums, and, happily, the National Youth Development Agency, Nyda, has agreed to join us, as has many youth formations. They will help us mobilise youth of 16 years and over to apply for identity documents.
For several years we have been trying to eliminate the holding of duplicate IDs. Since 2009, we have mounted a national campaign in this regard. At that date, we had over 500 000 in circulation in South Africa. We now believe we have a mop-up to do of around 20 000 duplicate IDs. We have tried to call on citizens to come forward to resolve the issue of these duplicate IDs. I now wish to announce that it is my intention to invalidate all duplicate IDs in December this year at the sweep of a pen. [Applause.]
All holders of duplicate IDs should approach our offices to seek assistance. We are working very closely with the financial sector organisations to smooth over the inconvenience that may result from this invalidation. They fully agree with me that it must be done, because it makes life very difficult for the financial and retail sector in our country.
We are also making progress with creating a paperless environment in Home Affairs. More offices use modern technology. Modernisation, as part of our project, includes live data capturing in our offices, e-visa issuing, as well as the issuing of e-permits. We have the Trusted Traveller Programme, the Enhanced Electronic Movement Control System, which is giving us access to more refined data on persons coming in and leaving our country, the National Identification System, which includes biometric features, and, of course, our wonderful plans for the introduction of the smart ID card. In 2012-13 we allocated R214 million to our information technology modernisation initiatives. This year, we will provide over R348 million towards this initiative. We must be modern. We must have more technology if we are to succeed.
We are also working very hard to ensure that we are able to issue the smart ID card in a phased implementation plan from the third quarter of this year, from July 2013. We will begin issuing the smart ID card from 27 Home Affairs regional offices throughout the country. These offices have already been equipped with the capacity for live capture. Over the next three years, we will install live capture in all offices of the Department of Home Affairs. This will enable the department to issue the smart ID card to all South African citizens over the next five to seven years and to finally get rid of the antiquated green ID book. [Applause.] This will be a major step towards creating a reliable National Population Register.
I believe that immigration is one of the areas in which we need a great deal of attention. We have massive growth within it; there is massive opportunity as well. According to the World Bank Migration and Remittances Unit, in 2010 there were 1,9 million immigrants living in South Africa - about 3,7% of our population - notably from Zimbabwe, at around 859 000, from Mozambique, at 455 000, and from Lesotho, at around 351 000. At the same time, 878 000 South Africans lived overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, which has 226 000 South Africans, Mozambique, which has 155 000, and Australia, which has 133 000. Immigrants remitted $720 million out of South Africa, whilst South African emigrants remitted $1,2 billion back into South Africa.
Census 2011 provides an update and estimates that, in 2011, we had around 2,7 million, or 5,7%, of South Africa's 51,7 million people, as foreign- born persons in our country. I think it's important for us always to remember that global migration is not simply about people moving from one country to another. It's also about money being transferred back to the country of origin. According to the World Bank, migrant remittances have tripled in volume in the last decade. A measure of the size of this is that remittances now dwarf global aid. I believe unreservedly that immigration needs to be administered effectively, but also that immigration into South Africa should be encouraged. We have to compete in a global marketplace for skills. It's something we have not addressed effectively as yet, but the National Development Plan has indicated that we need to do so. As part of our strategy to attract skills, we made 50 000 work permits available for scarce skills, but only 20 673 of these permits were issued in 2011. This means we have not filled that quota. We'll be asking the Immigration Advisory Board to look into this whole area and to reconsider whether the limit we have set is at the right level and whether the processes we are utilising are assisting us to achieve our objectives.
I think that we should provide clearer guidance about the numbers and the skills that we need. Our country is one of the most open economies in the world, and we want those with the right skills to come here: the investors, the entrepreneurs who will create the businesses and the jobs of tomorrow, and the scientists who will help South Africa keep its achievements at the heart of the great advances in medicine, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and communications. They merit, I believe, a permit policy that shows we are ready to compete with other countries for global talent. [Applause.]
It is generally acknowledged that South Africa suffers from a shortage of high-level research skills, that is, individuals with doctoral degrees and several years' research experience. We are currently considering a system of four-year to five-year work permits for foreigners who graduate from our universities in critical skills areas as a means of contributing to development in our country. We also need mathematics and science teachers. They should be given work permits that allow schools and teachers to function in a stable environment. [Applause.]
We are currently finalising the regulations for the Immigration Amendment Act, Act 13 of 2011. These will streamline the process of scientists applying for work permits. We will be working with our colleagues in the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Higher Education and Training to assist us in reducing the bottlenecks being experienced in evaluating visa and permit requests for scientists and researchers. The process that we will initiate will be similar to the corporate account status enjoyed by some multinational corporations in accessing permits in our country.
With regard to business, we've increased the opportunities for foreign investors and entrepreneurs. A total of 1 346 visas were issued to entrepreneurs in 2011. We are on track to issue more than that this year. In future, we intend to make it easier for venture capitalists to back entrepreneurs, to back people who are starting small-scale businesses that may become the blue chip businesses of tomorrow. We also plan to increase efficiency in issuing permits to investors in South Africa. Currently, we issue waivers for employees of many multinational corporations. We have had many complaints about delays in issuing permits - we are addressing these concerns. I'm aware that there are many companies that prefer to use staff from their overseas headquarters in their South African businesses.
I wish to indicate that, as government, we do have an obligation to promote job creation and skills development for South Africans as well. Our immigration policy, therefore, must help us to respond to this particular obligation of government. We want to welcome investment, but we want to see South Africans getting opportunities and being trained to run major corporations as well.
We will be appointing more adjudicators to assist us in managing the backlog in our temporary and permanent residence permit units to ensure speedier processing of applications. I have been very concerned that we have a huge backlog of permanent residence applications. So, we have approved the growth of that unit in order to ensure that we speed up the process of issuing these permits. I believe that if we manage immigration competently, we can attract critical skills to expand the economy and promote trade and investment for job creation and development. We need to be able to compete.
Yet globalisation also brings the risks of transnational crime and terrorism that can undermine the gains we have made in democracy. Competent management of immigration is vital for all our security. We have to do much more to protect our borders and our ports of entry. I am pleased to announce that government has agreed to the phased establishment of a border management agency, BMA. [Interjections.] Indeed, the agency will ensure co- ordination of and co-operation among the departments operating at our points of entry and along our borders. The BMA will be led by the Department of Home Affairs and will involve Sars, the SA National Defence Force, SAPS, the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Focused attention is being paid by our department to improving the management, capacity and infrastructure at our ports of entry. Last year, we made over R110 million available for improving infrastructure at our ports of entry. This was done via the Public Works budget. This year, over R130 million is being made available in the Department of Home Affairs budget. We will be able to execute the infrastructure improvement far more speedily. We have equipped a number of our ports of entry with the enhanced movement control system, whilst also ensuring that we introduce the advanced passenger processing system for airlines. These are positive developments, but much more still needs to be done to ensure that they work as we want them to. The changes have, I believe, improved the movement of persons and goods through our ports of entry. We are now able to process millions of visitors annually.
As a country, we have become a prime tourist destination and a venue of choice for hosting large international events. We are proud to have contributed to the hosting of the AU-UN African Conference of Ministers Responsible for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament, as well as the recent Brics summit of heads of state and government held in Durban. The support provided by Home Affairs was, I believe, excellent.
As part of building our capacity, greater attention will be paid to asylum seekers, the recruitment of migrants with critical skills, and the flow of economic migrants from other Southern African Development Community countries. We have begun to address gaps at the level of policy and operations. I think the Deputy Minister will address the matter of the work we are doing with the management of asylum seekers and refugees.
I think one of the urgent areas we must address is regularising the flow of economic migrants, particularly those from our neighbouring countries in the SADC. We are working on an immigration policy paper that will set out our proposals and policy perspectives. We intend to propose the provision of a work seekers' visa or a similar instrument for the SADC citizens. We just have to acknowledge that persons come from SADC looking for work and use the asylum route as a means of acquiring the right to stay in South Africa. We must create an appropriate route for such persons.
We also intend to work closely with the SADC countries to address the phenomenon of illegal migration into our country and region. The security risk that this poses to the political and economic stability of our country and region cannot be ignored. However, we must implement such policy within the ambit of the law and the Constitution, with due regard to human dignity, development and human security.
One of the priorities that our department has taken up very vigorously is action against crime, fraud and corruption. We are acting in Home Affairs. [Interjections.] Yes, indeed, right! Just two days ago, nine officials were arrested on suspicion of corruption. We support all efforts directed at eradicating corruption. [Applause.] The department's enforcement units, the Inspectorate and Counter Corruption, are combining efforts more effectively and working closely with other law enforcement agencies within the Security cluster to act effectively against crime, fraud and corruption.
Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to meet with the top management and other officials of the department, and I've paid visits to various Home Affairs offices across the country, including some ports of entry. As we stand on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the advent of democracy in South Africa, I believe my predecessors have laid a firm foundation for the department to make a meaningful contribution to the socioeconomic development of our country, whilst ensuring a safer and more secure management of our borders and ports of entry. I am sure that the majority of Home Affairs officials are keen to contribute meaningfully to the achievement of the five national priorities of our government, to the mandate of Home Affairs and to the objectives of the National Development Plan.
I have not referred to some of the inadequacies that concern me, namely the poor responsiveness of our call centre, the delays in effecting changes requested by clients, the backlogs in asylum management, in permanent residence issuing and temporary residence issuing, and many other problems which we will address as we work with the director-general and his team to create a fully responsive and efficient Department of Home Affairs.
In closing, I wish to thank the Deputy Minister for the always comradely support, intelligent counsel and lots of SMS texts. She loves to send SMSs. [Applause.] Thanks to our director-general for his hard work and support. Thank you, director-general, for the assistance you and your team have given me in helping me to settle in, and thanks too to all the officials of the department for welcoming me with open arms. I am grateful for the advice and gentle guidance of the chairperson of the portfolio committee and the support we get through the questions of hon De Freitas. [Laughter.] Hon Maggie Maunye and your colleagues, I really wish to thank you for your support and hard work. [Applause.] I hope that all members of this House will support our budget for the 2013- 14 financial year. I believe very firmly that working together, we can do more to contribute to the creation of a better life for all our people. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
House Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, comrades and hon members, guests in the gallery, and officials of the department, I dedicate my speech to an outstanding, principled and gallant revolutionary, a foot soldier of the ANC, a cadre who embodies the best traditions of the movement, Comrade Ephraim Nkwe, who passed away on Tuesday. May his soul rest in peace.
I would like to take this opportunity, Minister, to welcome your presentation and clear outline. Indeed, the evidence is there for all to see that Home Affairs has turned a corner and weathered the storms that have come thus far. Even as we note and celebrate progress, we do so conscious of our history, for a nation that abandons its history abdicates its responsibility to posterity. It is crucial that the nation be told that Home Affairs has not transformed only because of the demands of citizens for urgent and efficient service delivery. The department embarked on this process informed by the mandate that resonates with our constitutional democracy founded on the values of human dignity, equality and freedom.
The truth is that under the apartheid regime, with its Bantustan offspring, the main objective of the Department of Home Affairs was to control black people and deny them their citizenship, identity, dignity and freedom of movement, among other injustices. The ANC, through implementing the national democratic revolution, seeks to ensure that every South African, especially the poor, experiences improved quality of life. The ANC undertakes to build a developmental state shaped by the history and socioeconomic dynamics of the South African society.
Home Affairs plays a decisive role as the backbone of the developmental state and is central to enabling security and service provision. It plays a crucial role in enabling all South Africans to proudly claim their citizenship, dignity and identity. I should mention that a developmental state is unable to meet its essential goals without a detailed and secure identification system that incorporates both citizens and noncitizens that live, work and/or study within its borders. The identification system is crucial to a range of social, economic and cultural activities and ensures that the state is empowered to organise itself, plan for the future and protect its citizens.
One of the pillars of the National Development Plan is the building of a capable developmental state that can play a decisive role both in development and the reduction of poverty. It is therefore encouraging that the department has embarked on a large-scale modernisation programme that will enable the state to provide services efficiently and securely. The same system will produce reliable statistics for planning purposes. We strongly urge the department not only to be vigilant in supply chain management in the roll-out of this programme and its other infrastructure development projects still in the pipeline, but to respond, through such projects, to the challenge of underdevelopment and unemployment.
We are aware of the efforts of the administration and leadership of the department in the fight against fraud and corruption. In this regard, we strongly urge the department to be resolute and robust in implementing its strategies to prevent and combat fraud and corruption. It remains our conviction that more effort should be put into developing the qualified and versatile cadre as a means to improving service provision. We are less inclined to agree with the department's plan to solicit more consultants in relation to the modernisation of Programme 1, referred to before. A developmental state should increase its capacity and not rely on external skills to discharge its mandate. The intention to retain the numbers of its staff complement in the face of rising unemployment also does not reflect commitment to expediting the process of filling all vacant funded posts.
The integrity of our National Population Register, NPR, is at the heart of ensuring that all people in South Africa are and feel safe. The NPR's vulnerabilities are a matter of common concern due to factors such as the late application for identity documents, IDs, and failure by some applicants to promptly collect their ID books. This offers an opportunity for unscrupulous elements in the department to sell such documentation to ill-intentioned persons who, after procuring such documents, employ them in undertaking illicit activities.
We therefore support the campaign for a single entry point into the National Population Register and registration of child births within 30 days. We call upon parents to ensure the success of this initiative and for the department to expedite the connection of all hospitals to the on-line registration portal. We are conscious of cultural and customary challenges that face some parents, and therefore we encourage all South Africans to partner with Home Affairs through active participation in stakeholder forums. These forums are being rolled out all over the country to deepen public participation in the provision of services and public goods. We must add our support for the unabridged birth certificate in this regard.
The compliance of the department with the law regulating financial matters needs to be strengthened. We are encouraged by the fact that most audit findings have been addressed by the department. We urge the department to implement effective controls to prevent irregular expenditure and to ensure that it complies with the legislative requirement to make payments within 30 days.
The performance of the three entities under the department is encouraging. Specific mention deserves to be made of the work of the Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, which has attracted both regional and international recognition in the form of awards received by the IEC, amongst those being the United Nations Public Service Award in the category Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Service. Indeed, our democracy gets more and more secure due to the work of the IEC in delivering free and fair elections and fostering co-operation between political parties and other election candidates. [Applause.]
The Film and Publication Board continues to protect children from harmful content and to standardise film and publication information prepared for public viewership within its capacity. The state has to intervene when necessary to curtail the right to freedom of expression if the exercise of such freedom adversely affects bearers' other rights, especially the right to human dignity. In the same vein, the state has a duty to ensure secure printing of government information and other related information. In this regard, the Government Printing Works, with limited and dated equipment, continues to execute its tasks to realise its objectives. We therefore welcome the decision to migrate the entity to a more appropriate facility.
Movement of people in and out of the country is inalienable from trade operations, economic growth and development. Immigration and border management continue to be critical to balancing security and development interests. The Border Management Agency should thus be strengthened, and the department should play a crucial role in its strategies and operations to ensure that only the appropriately documented people find their way into the country. Again, we call on the strengthening of border patrol to eliminate illegal entrants into the country.
The department should also strengthen its management of asylum seekers. There should be strict adherence to international conventions and protocols in the processing of applications for asylumseekers, and more should be done to limit fraudulent regularisation of stay by asylumseekers, especially by means of bogus marriages and/or procreation. With regard to economic migrants, the department must ensure proper documentation and registration.
It is incumbent upon all South Africans to ensure the integrity of our National Population Register through timeous registration of births and application for and prompt collection of IDs. The roll-out of the smart ID card is a ground-breaking development, and the department must be congratulated on this important development. [Applause.] The process should be rolled out in phases on a pilot project basis.
The Department of Home Affairs is the backbone of the developmental state we are building, and it is a pillar of service provision and security. Possession of an enabling document is indeed a gateway to all forms of social wage. Thus officials should be educated to respect this right that accrues to citizens and others who are eligible. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chair, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, hon colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, before I discuss the Department of Home Affairs, I would like to comment on the entities that fall under its custodianship.
The Independent Electoral Commission continues to be devoid of scandals and political intrigue that have become so common in government. It is run professionally and efficiently. As I stated last year, the Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, does not allow itself to be bullied by any political party, irrespective of size. As a result, it is respected both locally and internationally to the extent that other countries with longer and more established democracies seek its guidance and advice. I repeat, as I said last year, we can only puff out our chests with pride when we talk about them. Thank you, IEC, for making South Africa proud. [Applause.]
The Film and Publication Board, FPB, has done well in fulfilling its mandate, despite its strange shenanigans with the painting The Spear last year, and it has worked hard at improving its past successes. The FPB has filled a number of key posts, as a result of which more than double the number of products have been classified in the 2012-13 financial year compared to that of 2011-12.
The Government Printing Works, GPW, is truly a prime example of how an entity should operate; so much so that it has reached the point where it is completely self-sufficient. This entity should have provided other similar entities in this government with an insight into how it works so that they, too, can emulate what the GPW does so successfully.
Turning to the Department of Home Affairs, it is clear to me that the department appears to be riding on its past successes with nothing new or exciting to report this year, as the Minister has told us today. This may explain why, despite the Minister being appointed as the political head of this department in October last year, she has not once attended or formally met the members of the portfolio committee.
The Minister has claimed that the department supports the National Development Plan, NDP, but if this is the case, how is she monitoring the objectives within this plan, and how are they being met by the Department of Home Affairs? The Minister's predecessor publicly stated on radio that citizens will be voting using their new identity document, ID, cards in the general elections next year. Is this deadline going to be met? If this target has not yet been fulfilled, is it going to be moved? Well, from what the Minister told us today, she has confirmed that this deadline has been postponed.
Since 2009, the department has not published a list of scarce and critical skills, as it is required to do in the Immigration Act. The Minister replied to a written question that the department intends publishing a list in the near future. Hon Minister, when will the list of the scarce and critical skills be published?
A total of 6 217 permits have been issued up until 5 March 2013. The target set by the department is 50 000. We clearly have a long way to go. It remains a mystery as to how this department will reach its own targets and by when, particularly considering that this is also the objective listed in the NDP.
To make this an even greater mystery, the Minister has indicated that the track-and-trace system is not currently able to capture jobs and skills- specific criteria for work permit applications. How then will we know which skills we need to import?
The department has spent in excess of R46 million on legal fees in the financial year. There appears to be no sign of this abating as the department continues to be taken to court for administrative failures, errors and for not respecting its own legislation. Court orders are routinely not respected. Despite the courts being clear about the opening of Refugee Reception Centres, the department simply ignores court orders and refuses to reopen them. The solution, we are told by the department, is that centres will be opened at land border posts. The plan appears to ignore air and sea ports. The government cannot ignore the fact that South Africa is a safe haven for asylum seekers and refugees living in conflict zones in search of a better, safer life. Instead of ignoring this issue, we must tackle it head-on and take our human rights-based approach to handle asylum seekers and refugees.
I am interested in the Minister's announcement of the Border Management Agency. A leaked document that I have in my possession reveals that the department has an extraordinary plan to introduce refugee camps, where people previously called asylum seekers will instead be referred to as refugees. This means that it's not just about detaining asylum seekers during the status determination process, but keeping refugees in camp facilities. The Refugees Act empowers the director-general to establish a reception office. There is no empowerment provision to establish refugee camps. The fact that the camp policy is much costlier than the current system and requires minimal government support for asylum seekers or refugees seems to have escaped the authors of this proposal. We need to know exactly what the plans are in this regard and whether the new Border Management Agency incorporates this.
In April 2012, I presented a Public Protector report to this House entitled, "Unconscionable Delay". It highlights the abuse of power in administration. This straightforward application remains pending despite recommendations by the Public Protector that it be approved. It is an indictment of the department. The department officials simply refuse to grant this and many other applications, because it appears that it is their egos and not the law that is being respected.
Sadly, it gets worse as this department and its officials sometimes forget the impact that it has on real people's lives. Take for example the letter I received in March from someone in the Eastern Cape. Without quoting the person's name, he/she said:
The person underlined here is an indigenous South African of this country. It is very painful to see her being humiliated and used with no dignity, and to be made less than sub-human, being humiliated and reduced by a public officer who refuses to issue an ID to her, despite declarations and public affidavits made by family members to ascertain her as having been born and bred in Colesberg, South Africa.
She applied for an ID on 15 February 2012, but to date this has not been issued to her. In terms of section 20 of the Bill of Rights, she is entitled to this document. She was born in 1964, in Colesberg. As we currently speak, she does not have access to employment, health care, a social grant, no community benefits, and no rights of whatever nature are considered for her because she is treated as an outcast and a foreigner.
Further down the letter it talks about Home Affairs officials as follows:
It might happen to many people who opt to keep quiet about such officials who undermine people just because of their poor backgrounds and positions. He thinks that he is above the law and with a superiority complex in bullying others. Never on earth can an ID application take such a long time.
There are still incidents of people being abused by officials of the Department of Home Affairs, despite the many improvements that the Minister has spoken about. I advise the Minister to read the regular feature in the Daily Sun newspaper called "Home Affairs Horrors" to understand the impact of poor service delivery by her department on ordinary South Africans.
The abuse does not stop here and is now reaching other areas. The recent high-profile Guptagate saga is another example. Clearly the government is working hard to create a perception that it did not condone this major breach of security and that it opposes this violation that took place at the end of April. At a media conference on Friday, all the Ministers, including the Minister of Home Affairs, stressed that no executive authority was granted for the plane to land. If this is the case, how is it that, according to Home Affairs itself, all 270 passengers and 12 crew members on the plane in question had been processed through immigration?
Chairperson, I rise on a point of order. There is a Rule against pre-emption. My understanding is that that particular subject has been put on the table under matters that are due to be debated.
Hon member, you are correct in that there is such a Rule, but unfortunately that Rule does not apply in this instance. It is a matter for debate at the moment. Of course, as soon as that report is formally tabled in Parliament, then the Rule will apply. You may continue, hon member. [Applause.]
If indeed permission had been granted for this aircraft to land, how is it that officials were on hand to process all these people at Waterkloof? Exactly how were they processed and how were all the documentation for non-South Africans entering the country verified as true, accurate and not fake? According to Home Affairs, all passengers were indeed verified as correct and meeting all required legislation.
It appears that the Department of Home Affairs was very well prepared to receive passengers from the aeroplane that government claims had not been granted permission to land at that base. The feeble attempts by government in spinning the tall story does not hold water and the public won't be fooled that easily. If indeed permission had not been granted for this plane to land, then it will be logical that resources from the Department of Home Affairs would not be at hand to process passengers. According to the Department of Home Affairs, it was indeed present and successfully administered all the passengers. Government speaks with a forked tongue as it makes claims on the one side, while its actions demonstrate another. The spin and the actual series of events simply do not add up.
The Department of Home Affairs simply needs to come out and admit that it looks after those close to the President and the ANC, even if it means posing security risks to South Africa and breaking its laws, as it did in this case. The hon Minister owes South Africa an explanation. South Africans demand answers to all these questions and she must be held accountable.
This leads me to other forms of corruption, which continue to be rife within the department. It extends from the lowest levels right to the top. The Auditor-General found that the department had mismanaged procurement and contracts by awarding them incorrectly and by not following tender procedures. The bottom line is that little is being done to fight corruption. The results speak for themselves and the levels of corruption have not decreased.
I also dream that we will soon reach that stage where, in South Africa, we will reach a level where we will have a quick, efficient and effective service from our Department of Home Affairs, and when any experience regarding this department will be a pleasant, courteous and corruption-free one. It is a goal well worth working towards. We are here to assist in realising this dream. Minister, tackling these issues that I have mentioned today would go a long way in realising this. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, welcome to the new Minister. She has had a soft landing. She has a very competent Deputy Minister and she has a top fleet of very efficient, hardworking and committed officials. I am pleased she has recognised that. She has been there before. [Applause.]
I must congratulate the Minister on her fresh approach to the question of migration. The migration of people around the world goes on all the time. Therefore, I think it is important for us to get in step with global trends; in effect, to be a leader. I am delighted with her vision to bring in skills and entrepreneurship. Immigrants or people who come to South Africa are in a sense coming to the united states of Southern Africa, just as the United States has been a magnet for people looking for a better life. We are, too. I do not think we must resent that. However, we must manage it.
My concern is that she did not mention what I think is the most powerful tool, one that our department has not used very effectively, namely the Home Affairs National Identification System, Hanis, which is our fingerprints recording system. That, I believe, is the best identity document, ID, because everybody has a set of fingerprints. In that regard, I believe the Minister can really make a lot of good progress.
We have to get away from what we used to call "Ndabazabantu" [Home Affairs], where people had to queue in crowds. Chairperson, sometimes, happily, it is much better, but sometimes we think we are back with "Ndabazabantu".
I had a phone call from a friend in Ladysmith, Mr Mxolisi Khumalo, who said, "I am standing in a queue at the Department of Home Affairs and there is only one person at the counter. What can I do?" I tried to phone the Ladysmith office and there was no reply. I phoned the Pietermaritzburg office, dialling the number I had from 1023, and still there was no reply. Minister, you have said that you are aware of that. However, I think we have to look at better queue management, a better call centre and also constant monitoring.
It is typical in the private sector, when you have had a DSTV query to phone you back immediately to ask, how was your experience? How did it go? I believe Home Affairs can get there, too, and make huge progress with their branding, etc. The question that I want to deal with is Question 239 on refugees and other elements. My concern from the given reply is that, for example, we have 3 000 Bangladeshi who have work permits, while we have 26 000 who are asylum seekers. Now, I do not know why that is so. One can sympathise with a person from Somalia, because it is a nightmare country. However, it is settling down. Hopefully, the Somalis will be able to go home. I believe that the department also has to look at the Chinese situation. Every town in South Africa has not one, but many Chinese shops. Okay, they are welcome. They are good traders. I think they are honest people who pay their taxes. However, I think we should look into their situation.
The other issue, in reply to this question, is that the department said there are no bilateral agreements with any country. I understand what we are trying to do in the SADC; we are trying to do an intergovernmental thing. However, I believe it is important that we have bilateral agreements with countries like Bangladesh, China and Pakistan, where many people hail from who are asylum seekers because they are here for a better life.
From a Home Affairs perspective, the arrival of 200 people at the Waterkloof Air Force Base, apparently to attend the Gupta wedding, was not just an embarrassment but it completely undermined our immigration and customs laws and it was illegal. The Gupta guests flagrantly broke the law, but you, hon Minister, brushed it aside and went off to enjoy the wedding. [Laughter.] I thought to myself maybe you felt like visiting the old Bophuthatswana, but what sort of example are you setting to your hardworking immigration officials at our border posts, who have to enforce the law and work hard? Now, if the Minister wanted to build morale, discipline and respect and be a champion in her department, she should have announced that, under the circumstances, she, as Minister of Home Affairs, could not in good conscience be present at that wedding, and then she would have heard cheers from her department.
The question of the Border Management Agency is a very serious one. This is the leading department and the Border Management Agency could become an enormous part of government. I believe the department should look at it very carefully. We have just now appointed two loyal communists, one as the Minister of Public Works, and his Deputy, another velvet communist. [Laughter.] These chaps do work hard. Chairperson, I really ...
Order! Order! Chairperson.
Hon member, please take your seat. What is your point of order, hon member?
Chair, I think the hon member is out of order. There is no member within this Chamber of Parliament that comes from the Communist Party. [Interjections.] [Laughter.]
Order! Order! Continue, hon member.
Chairperson, the point is that the Minister has mentioned that her department is developing a capacity in addition to or parallel with the Department of Public Works. [Interjections.] Well, it was going to construct your border posts. That is good, because I think the Department of Public Works has an institutional memory. It has been building public buildings and public facilities for over a hundred years in South Africa, and they therefore should be utilised, particularly if they are going to be managed better under the new Ministers for the department. Madam Chair, could I also ask the Minister if ... [Laughter.]
Order, hon members! Let us allow the member to express himself. [Laughter.]
You might make a pretty Chairlady, Mr Chairperson. [Laughter.] If Cuba had an Independent Electoral Commission, the majority of South Africans would be more comfortable using them in the Department of Home Affairs. I want to ask the Minister: Is she going to carry on using Cubans in a high-security department like the Department of Home Affairs? I certainly hope not. The Government Printing Works is a little jewel in the crown of government, not a big jewel, but it pays its own way and it is going to handle our smart cards. I was very encouraged to hear that as a result of good procurement ... Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, hon members, esteemed guests in the gallery, one of the key mandates of the Department of Home Affairs is to regulate and facilitate immigration and to enforce the Immigration Act. In this regard, no person can legally enter South Africa unless cleared by an immigration official, whether they seek to enter by land, sea or air. Within this mandate resorts the regulation of the asylum seekers and the granting of refugee status in terms of international protocol, which South Africa is signatory to.
Immigration impacts strongly on our security and our economic, social and cultural development. The creation of decent work depends on trade and tourism and the flow of skills and knowledge, all of which is impossible without the movement of the people. A better and a safer life for all South Africans is only possible if we are integrated into the global community and if we develop together with our region.
The ANC and the mass of our people have always stood together against racism and embraced internationalism and a sense of belonging to humanity. However, we must be vigilant and defend our state, our people and our independence. A well-managed immigration system is therefore crucial in achieving our national objectives. Thus the second leg of the aim of the department is the regulation of immigration to ensure security and promote development.
The mandate of the Department of Home Affairs, in terms of immigration, includes the facilitation of the legal entry and departure of all persons into and out of the Republic through designated ports of entry and exit. The department must also ensure that foreigners entering the country sojourn and reside consummate to the terms and conditions of their permits.
The department has the obligation to track, trace, investigate and deport foreigners who violate the immigration legislation of the country. As the programme of the department, Immigration Affairs endeavour to maintain service delivery of enabling documents while improving the percentage of applications processed within a specific period. In this regard, it aims to increase the issuing of permanent residence permits from 50% to 70% in 2015- 16.
According to the Estimates of National Expenditure, the spending focus over the medium term will be on facilitating the importation of critical skills into South Africa, improving access to land ports of entry and the smooth facilitation of travellers' movements. This is aimed at contributing to the development of a risk-based approach to immigration which will maximise benefits and minimise risks for the country. It is also worth noting that the spending focus will also be on ensuring that the Lindela Repatriation Centre complies with the highest applicable human rights standards in line with the Constitution and the Immigration Act and that the deportation of illegal foreigners in South Africa is carried out speedily.
Our approach to immigration must ensure a balance between the promotion of security and socio-economic development, job creation and trade investment in South Africa within the SADC region, the continent and the rest of the world. No matter how pedantic, the point has to be made again that South Africa cannot survive as a small and rich enclave surrounded by a sea of poverty and severe underdevelopment. South Africa must be built in a better Africa and a better world.
The ANC-led government has the obligation to balance the need for economic, cultural and social development of the country against its security needs and the integrity of our state and society. Security has to include, but must not be limited to, the security of the country, communities and each one of us. It must also include the immigrant communities that are part of South Africa. Social cohesion includes the integration of immigrant communities into South African life.
South Africa is a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention for the protection of refugees and its 1967 Protocol, which has subsequently been indigenised in the Refugee Act of 1998. Accordingly a refugee is someone who is persecuted or has a well-founded fear of persecution that forces him or her to seek refuge in another state. South Africa continues to receive large numbers of asylum seekers mostly from the SADC region and the rest of Africa.
According to the Estimates of National Expenditure, the spending focus in the medium term will also be aimed at implementing effective and efficient asylum and refugee management strategies and systems such as the development of a framework to guide the establishment of strategically located refugee research centres. However, statistics demonstrates that more than 95% of those claiming asylum in South Africa are not genuine asylum seekers, but ...
...abantu abazozifunela amathuba emisebenzi namathuba amabhizinisi. Kuyaziwa ukuthi laba bahlobo bethu bavunyelwe ukuba baziphilise ngenkathi besalinde izimpendulo zezicelo zabo. Abanye-ke babe sebezibonela amathuba okuthi ukuze bamukeleke eNingizimu Afrika, kufanele okungenani bashade nabantu baseNingizimu Afrika okuyimishado engekho emthethweni. [Ubuwelewele.] Bazizamele nezitifiketi zokuzalwa ezingekho emthethweni. Abanye babo baze bazale izingane nabantu baseNingizimu Afrika, babe nezingane lapha eNingizimu Afrika. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[... are just people who come here for job and business opportunities. It is a well-known fact that these friends of ours need to make a living whilst they are waiting for a response in respect of their applications. Others think that for them to be welcomed into South Africa, they need to get married to South Africans, which make those marriages illegal. [Interjections.] They also produce fraudulent birth certificates. Some of them also bear children here in South Africa.]
The above-mentioned challenges call for new measures. South Africa must take steps to be able to refuse asylum and asylum seekers who have transited through one or more safe countries. The UN convention on asylum seekers provides for the first safe country rule, which states that an asylum seeker should seek refuge in the first safe country that he or she reaches. In this regard, South Africa should exercise its right to refuse to grant refugee status to asylum seekers who have travelled through safe countries.
Njengoba sazi ukuthi abanye basuka emazweni akude, badlule wonke lawa amanye amazwe aphephile, beze la eNingizimu Afrika, bazobhaca la. [We know that some come from far away countries and pass through many safe countries, but come here to South Africa as refugees.]
It is crucial that systems be put in place to effectively and efficiently manage economic migrants. We all should not forget that there are strong historical flows of labour between certain southern African countries and South Africa. Historically, labour from various countries on this continent contributed towards building the wealth of this country. The truth of the matter is that, nowhere in the world should a country with a stronger economy ... The ANC supports the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Time expired.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Ministers present, hon members, the Department of Home Affairs is very close to the heart of the IFP because of our leader's 10-year successful Ministry thereof. [Interjections.] Thulani nilalele! [Keep quiet and listen!] As such we clearly understand the challenges that the Minister faces and we appreciate her successes, but also lament the department's shortcomings.
We strongly believe that by working together, we can more readily achieve our common goal, which is effective service delivery to the citizenry of South Africa.
There have been many improvements since the launch of the National Population Registration campaign in 2010-11, especially regarding the registration of births. We are pleased that the number of children registered within 30 days of birth has increased, as this will assist our citizens in accessing benefits for their children from government.
Hospital connectivity has played a very important role in the early registration of births, as mothers are now able to register their babies at the hospital or clinic where they have given birth. The promise to have more hospitals and clinics connected is welcomed. Late registration of birth is a crime for which the parents of the child should be prosecuted. In this day and age, no South African child should reach the age of 18 without a birth certificate. It is a right of every child to have their birth registered immediately. It is commendable that the figures of late registrations are decreasing.
First issue of identity documents has increased and the re-issue of IDs has decreased. I think this is due to the amount charged by the department on the re-issue of an ID. This is evidenced by citizens, now valuing their IDs and keeping them safe.
We have also noted that the number of duplicate IDs in circulation has decreased. We hope the department will continue to work on this, as they create serious problems when people apply for grants, death certificates and other legal documents, but we welcome the comment by the Minister that they will be invalidated.
The previous Minister promised in June 2012 that the smart ID cards were to be rolled out within 18 months. We hope it will still be rolled out as stated, which is by December 2013, as the smart ID cards will greatly reduce fraud. We are also happy that the Minister has stated that this will commence in July 2013.
We have an obligation as a country to scrutinise all applications received from asylum seekers and refugees who seek refuge within our borders. We also have a right to turn down those that are not eligible in terms of our existing legislation. We must have measures in place to be able to identify who is an economic migrant and who is an asylumseeker. The department promised a turnaround time of three months on new applications. We will closely monitor this.
The Government Printing Works is an entity that is responsible for printing our security documents, like our passports and identity documents. It's important that the efficiency and accuracy of the GPW's reporting and management is continually improved. In this regard their new, modernised facility with advanced information technology systems, which will be completed by 2014, is also welcomed.
Madam Minister, you are well aware that there is a need for South African citizens who wish to visit the UK, for whatever reason, to apply for UK visas. This came about when Her Majesty's government indicated that the issuance of South African passports was fraught with fraud and corruption. We would like to be informed if there is any progress made in ensuring the credibility of our systems so that discussions can take place with the UK government to waive the requirement for South African citizens to apply for a UK visa.
We strongly support the Film and Publication Board's mission to ensure efficient and effective consumer protection through the regulation of media content, whilst empowering the public, especially children, through robust information, sharing. Working together with other partnerships, such as the SA Police Service and the Child Protection Unit in trying to combat child pornography, must be encouraged. The work of the Film and Publication Board to create a safe and secure environment for children is greatly appreciated.
The IFP supports the Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Ministers, hon members and guests, one of the key features of an interventionist state is that it creates strategic and technical capacity within itself to be able to respond to the needs of the public. The state not only intervenes to render conditions conducive to economic purposes like foreign and local investment, but also to induce economic growth and employment creation. There are strategic tasks that require the government to participate in their performance against the direction of the market forces of demand and supply to ensure the protection of the fundamental human rights of citizens.
In this regard, our Constitution entrenches the right to universal adult suffrage, the right to access to information and the right to freedom of speech. I will talk about three of our government's entities whose strategic mandate is to ensure that citizens enjoy the rights I have just alluded to. One of the pillars of our democracy is the constitutional value of universal adult suffrage, a national common voters' roll and regular elections. Over the years the Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, has ascertained that our elections are indeed free and fair. Citizens continue to vote for their preferred candidates and preferred political parties secretly and without any reasonable apprehension of harm or bias. In this regard, the IEC has ensured that the voting results are credible. As a consequence, we have had administrations changing in all three spheres of government without any sociopolitical tension or upheaval caused since the dawn of our democracy.
More than just being a stabilising agent in our country, the IEC has proceeded to do the same when called upon in many parts of the African continent and abroad.
The commission therefore has the objective to promote the acceptance of and adherence to democratic electoral principles nationally. It also seeks to position itself as a continuously improving organisation. We congratulate the IEC for receiving local, regional and international awards for the progress made in managing elections.
The Government Printing Works contributes, among others, to creating a safer South Africa through executing secured printing for the state. It contributes towards an efficient, effective and development-oriented Public Service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship.
As a state-mandated security printer underpinned by the values of reliability, integrity, accuracy and stakeholder satisfaction, the Government Printing Works strives to provide cost-effective, reliable and timeous service in security printing to all spheres of government and to disseminate government information through technology, innovation and service excellence.
As the current building is neither suitable for the development of a secure printing facility nor conducive to production efficiency, the Government Printing Works, GPW, seeks to occupy other functional and secure facilities. This will enhance national security and limit economic identity fraud while contributing to secure documents and immigration issues. In order to improve efficiency and enable cost-effective production, the state requires continuous improvement and innovation in the security of documents, therefore relying on the most advanced equipment and technology. In this regard the GPW aims at acquiring modern production equipment to satisfy all state security printing requirements.
It is necessary to ensure that financial resources are managed in accordance with legislation and sound financial management practices to contribute towards financial sustainability. Therefore, GPW aims to provide quality financial and supply chain management services in compliance with legislation and with clients' needs to contribute to financial sustainability.
We are encouraged by the fact that, for the third year in succession, the GPW obtained an unqualified audit for the 2011-12 financial year. This confirms its position as a government-owned entity running on sound business principles with all its operations financed through revenue it generates by means of the services provided.
The Film and Publication Board is underpinned by the protection of children from early exposure to adult material and use in child pornography productions. It provides consumer advice on media content and designated areas for distribution of adult material. The board therefore ensures efficient and effective protection of children against exposure to undesirable media and entertainment content through of monitoring of the industry, ensuring that there is adherence to classifications imposed by the Film and Publication Board by industry and society in general. [Interjections.] You must keep quiet and listen.
We are also encouraged by the fact that the Film and Publication Board received an unqualified audit opinion and achieved 90% of its overall annual targets. However, we take note of and call for speedy intervention as a response to the challenges of limited information technology capacity and ageing IT infrastructure, a high vacancy rate due to the migration of the Film and Publication Board's structure to a new turnaround structure and limited capacity to regulate new media platforms like game applications. The other concern is with regard to cybercrime.
Without a shadow of doubt the performance of these government-owned and government-managed entities rebut the presumption that government participation in business and other sectors should be as minimal as possible. It is irrefutable that these entities run by the ANC-led government are operating on sound business principles in line with a responsive, transparent and accountable government. The work done by the entities continues to strengthen the case for more rather than less government intervention.
The awards won by the IEC demonstrate beyond any shadow of doubt that South Africa leads the world when it comes to running free and fair elections. The work of the GPW continues to secure the identity and other valuable information of our people and ensure the secure dispatch of official information to all subjects and affected stakeholders.
In the same vein, the FPB has ensured that suitable information reaches appropriate recipients and, in so doing, secure children against improper information. It should be noted that the FPB discharges its responsibility without resorting to undue censure and thus does not offend against the right of access to information provided for in the Constitution, but rather justifiably and reasonably limits the right, as set out in section 36 of the Constitution, to serve a legitimate government purpose.
It is from that informed perspective that we unreservedly support the budget allocated to these entities to execute their programmes. Re a leboga. Siyabonga! [Thank you.]
Chairperson and hon members, I rise to support the Minister's address to this chamber of Parliament today, and will in my address concern myself with the issue of asylumseeker management, the work of the Film and Publication Board, FPB, and the legal services of the department.
Some of you may know that the Iziko Museum is hosting a wonderful exhibition of the life of the great Oliver Tambo. Those of you who have not been to view this exhibition should do yourselves a favour and do so. It documents the life and times of one of our foremost leaders, who spent over 30 years of his life as a refugee. [Interjections.]
In a nutshell, it is our commitment to make our system of asylum management better able to meet the needs of genuine refugees and to prevent and eventually eradicate the abuse of the refugee regime mainly by unskilled work seekers, but also elements that mean harm to our country and people. The Minister mentioned in her speech some of the plans with regard to the Southern African Development Community nationals and this will certainly allow for better management of immigrants from these countries and free up capacity in our asylum centres, which can then be directed at better service to and integrating initiatives for genuine refugees.
This is the long-term vision. In the coming year, we will concentrate on developing better synergies between the Refugee Status Determination Officers, RSDOs, the Refugee Appeals Board and the Standing Committee on Refugee Affairs, SCRA, in our centres. In our ongoing efforts to curb rampant bribery and corruption in our refugee centres, we will introduce new high security permits for refugees and asylum seekers.
Permits will be printed on paper manufactured only for the department and will contain a series of security features such as barcodes and watermarks. Any attempt to tamper with personalised details on such a permit will immediately discolour the document.
We will introduce a track-and-trace capability to monitor the processing of asylum seeker applications at all our centres. This will give asylum applicants information on their cellphones and keep them abreast of the progress made in processing their applications. It will also facilitate good management practices and give our managers immediate access to information on backlogs and other vital data.
Coming now to what we are able to report as our achievements in the last twelve months: Firstly, we have implemented an agreement concluded with the major banks, enabling them to perform online verification of the identities of refugees and asylum seekers. This will enable this category of people to access financial services while awaiting adjudication in our country.
We implemented a fast-track system at the Durban Refugee Reception Centre and are doing likewise in Musina and Pretoria. Our preliminary findings indicate very positive trends in that the numbers of asylum seeker applications have decreased quite dramatically, particularly in the Durban office.
We are pleased to announce an overall decrease in the number of asylumseekers who have come into our centres throughout the country this year. In 2010 we received a total of 185 900 applications for asylum. In 2011, this figure dropped to 87 020, and last year the figure reduced further to 85 058.
I must emphasise that we are not making it more difficult to apply for asylum in South Africa, as some are now suggesting. In fact, we are seeing a significant increase in the number of refugee applications being processed in our centres where the asylumseeker numbers have reduced. This is a very positive sign and we believe that the absence of huge throngs actually creates a conducive environment and atmosphere for those persons who are genuinely in need of humanitarian assistance.
All indications are that this year, touch wood, barring the outbreak of war or any other catastrophic occurrence on the continent and our region, we are set to see further reductions in the number of asylumseekers. Thus, when we stood here in this chamber and spoke about South Africa being the world's largest recipient of asylum seekers, we are now reporting to the House that the situation in South Africa is rapidly normalising.
These developments should remind us all, once again, that South Africa is not an island; that our fortunes as a country are inextricably linked with the fortunes of our brethren on the continent. [Applause.] As has been said by former Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, as well as President Jacob Zuma, on so many occasions, South Africans cannot dream of peace, prosperity and a better life without dreaming that same dream for the rest of Africa. [Applause.]
We therefore welcome the recommendation by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, to end the refugee status of certain exiled Angolans in 2011. This is good news for us and the continent. The UNHCR has noted that circumstances in Angola have changed significantly to the extent that it is no longer a refugee-producing country. Angola is a country that has decisively put its past behind it and is notching up some very serious and impressive developmental statistics. It is one of the fastest growing economies on the continent. Its GDP growth is projected to be in the region of 7%. It is a country attracting a good deal of foreign investment. The human development index in regard to health, education and income shows that Angola has, since 2006, performed above the regional average and it is a rapidly growing tourist destination.
Last week, Cabinet declared its support for the proposal made by the UNHCR that all refugees who sought refuge in South Africa on the basis of the Angolan civil war will be capable of initiating durable solutions by relinquishing their status as refugees.
Refugee status is not meant to be a permanent situation. This is why all of the international instruments governing refugee matters refer to cessation in circumstances where significant changes have occurred which allow people who previously fled under threat of persecution to return to their home countries. I do not need to remind the House and hon members here that the same situation pertained to South Africa with the unbanning of the ANC. Many hundreds of people who were in exile returned home to their country of birth to help rebuild our beloved country.
Angolan refugees who have similar dreams of a homeland that will forever be a place of peace and prosperity are now urged to return to their motherland and help in the effort to reconstruct that country into a regional and continental place of pride, where people abide by the rule of law and where there is peace and prosperity for all. The UNHCR, the Angolan government and the South African government we have in principle agreed to assist those who are still here and who wish to voluntarily return to Angola.
For those who wish to stay on in South Africa, we will be introducing an option to apply for temporary or permanent residence visas upon obtaining their Angolan passports from their embassy in South Africa. We shall, within the next few days, be announcing the location of helpdesks and deadlines within which such applications may be made during this window of opportunity. We therefore urge those who wish to take advantage of this option to obtain their Angolan passports as soon as possible.
Hon members will be aware that, in terms of the Refugees Act, the Standing Committee on Refugee Affairs has the power to revoke anyone's refugee status at any time. In declaring its support for the UNHCR's recommendation with regard to Angolan refugees, the South African government has not only signalled its support for an end to the refugee-producing status of Angola, but we have given those affected persons a window of opportunity for durable solutions to their status. The last option available to such refugees, whose status may be the subject of review by the SCRA, will be to apply to the standing committee for an exemption from cessation. This category of persons will then, if granted the exemption, remain refugees in this country until the SCRA determines otherwise.
I am now coming to the Film and Publication Board items. We were in Bredasdorp recently, where I was able, amongst other things, to personally deliver the ID of a brother to the hon Leonard Max, amongst other persons. We wanted to thank him personally for the wonderful letter that he sent to the Minister, but he is not here, unfortunately. I hope people will convey that to him. May I suggest, hon De Freitas, that you obtain a copy of this so that next year when you deliver your speech, we will be able to take what you said this year, as we have done this year with the speech that you delivered last year. [Applause.]
As I have mentioned, we were in Bredasdorp recently with the FPB on an outreach programme and we were very privileged to meet Chrisna Junios. Chrisna was generous enough to share her story with us and has given me permission to share it with the hon members here today. The reason we want to speak about her experience is because it says so much about the worth of the FPB and the work that it does.
A few years ago, Chrisna's marriage was on the rocks and she was emotionally in a very bad place. Desperately, she turned to social media and befriended a person on-line. They began communicating and eventually built a friendship. Unfortunately, the marriage problems got worse and she suffered what is commonly called a nervous breakdown. She was admitted to hospital. Upon discharge she accepted a lift home from her cyber friend, with whom she had continued communicating throughout the process. Sad to say, she never arrived home. She was kidnapped. She had to endure torture and degradation at the hands of her kidnappers. She had to endure forced feeding of drugs. She suffered sexual assault numerous times.
She was finally rescued after 13 months in captivity. No one can imagine the strength that it took to recover from this horrible experience. Chrisna is with us today as a guest of the department. She is joined by her new husband, Mr Neno Junios. They are up in the gallery. Please stand ... [Applause.] You are both very welcome here today.
Chrisna's experience is a vivid reminder to all of us that whilst the cyber world has revolutionised our lives, we should never imagine it is without peril to ourselves and our children.
The work done by the FPB must be supported across party lines, and we should not fall for the mistaken notion, as some have done, that this body is no different from the censorship board of the old apartheid era. It is a vital institution that enhances our security capabilities and very literally continues to save lives every day. [Applause.]
I want to speak very briefly about the achievements of the legal department, but the hon De Freitas has pre-empted me. I want to say, yes, we are a very heavily litigated department. We are probably the second only to the SAPS in this regard. We have no control, quite frankly, over those people who decide to institute litigation against us. It is their constitutional right to do so, and it is for us to defend the interest of the department and the laws passed by this very House. We will defend, though, only those cases that we think are defensible. Where we think we are wrong, we have made the effort to reach out and correct our mistakes. [Applause.] We do not defend unnecessarily.
I may say that we do fairly well with regard to the outcome. I have in my possession the statistics with regard to court applications that we have been party to this year. Out of 29 applications, we won 23. All these related to immigration, labour as well as ID and passport disputes. This is a success rate of 79%. [Applause.] Thank goodness that the DA does not run Home Affairs ... [Applause.] ... because if they did ... [Interjections.] ... this is the pose that we would have had all the time: We surrender! We would put our hands high up above our heads and constantly say, We surrender!
This is what happens when you pray before the temple of popularity as opposed to leadership. Thank you very much. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Order, hon members, order! [Interjections.] Order, please! Let's not turn the House into a circus, please!
Hon members, before I call upon the next speaker, I have the great honour and pleasure of acknowledging, in the gallery, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Zululand, Prof Fikile Mazibuko, who was my student in Course 1. Will she stand up, please? [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, hon guests and comrades, this debate takes place on the day known as Victory Day in Eastern Europe, or the former Soviet Union. It is the day on which Nazi Germany capitulated and surrendered to the Soviet Union. This was the beginning of the end of the Second World War. This day marks the 77th anniversary of the formal annexation of Ethiopia in 1936, thus ending the notion of the only African nation that successfully resisted European colonialism during the scramble for Africa.
I mention these incidents not because I am a good historian or have a digital memory. I am making reference to these two incidents because, beside their historical importance, I read about them on the Internet. [Interjections.] There is no doubt that the Internet has reshaped the world.
Most traditional communication media, including telephone, music, film and television are being reshaped or refined by the Internet, giving birth to new services such as the Voice over Internet Protocol, the VoIP, and Internet Protocol Television. Newspapers, books, and other print and publishing facilities also adapt to website technology, or are reshaped into blogging and web feeds. The Internet also enables and accelerates new forms of human interaction through instant messaging, Internet forums and social networking.
One does not need to be a genius in order to realise that through information technology such as the Internet, the Department of Home Affairs can really make the lives of our people better.
It is a fact that our people, especially those in the rural areas, still travel distances in order to access the Department of Home Affairs' services. So, the million dollar question would be: What is the Department of Home Affairs doing to change the situation? This is necessary because people who are the poorest of the poor have to spend the little money that they have to travel from their local areas to other areas, mainly to urban areas, to access services from Home Affairs.
Ke ka baka la gore batho magaeng kamoka, ga ba kgone go boledi?ana le Kgoro ya Merero ya t?a Selegae ya rena gore ba kgone go thu?wa. [This happens because people who are in the rural areas are unable to communicate with the Department of Home Affairs about the services they need.]
Surely, this runs short of what the Constitution demands from us, that we should improve the quality of life of all citizens. This is because of one big element that is missing - information technology. It is missing, not because it is totally unavailable, but because it is not utilised optimally. There are, of course, many reasons for this minimal utilisation, ranging from financial constraints to human capacity. This means that we either do not have adequate technology or, if we do, that we do not have enough skilled personnel to implement that technology.
This is why, at the 53rd ANC conference in Mangaung, the ANC took very important resolutions relating to Home Affairs in particular. Among others, the conference further noted that the cross-departmental responsibility and competencies for border management created a duplication of tasks, weak data collection and control.
The conference resolved, among others, the following, and I quote:
There is a need for a single nation identity system which will contain a profile of all South Africans and documented foreign nationals who comply with our laws.
Those who read between the lines will realise that the two have the biometric smart ID card written all over them. This shows that the ANC can think smart and futuristic, can change with time, and can and will resolve these challenges using the modern technology, including information technology.
As I alluded to earlier, government can come closer to its people through its usage of information technology and communications, thereby increasing efficiency and helping to make their lives better. Communication is a two- way traffic system, which means people themselves can also inform government of what is happening in their areas through the use of technology. This will, in turn, enable government to align its services and programmes with the needs of the people. It will save government a lot of money, and there would be no need for an official to physically go to the places where these people live.
To have access to information allows government to lay a foundation for policies and to make commitments to improve conditions. The plight of the people will ultimately be improved by obtaining information from outside. Our government, through the department, will not be immune to this, which is why we support the strengthening of the information technology capacity of the department. This will save a lot of time and resources, not to mention making the relationship between the department and citizens simpler, faster and better. The late former President of the USA, John F Kennedy, once said, and I quote:
It is a time ... for a new generation of leadership ... to cope with new problems and new opportunities. For there is a new world to be won.
Today's new problems and opportunities relate heavily to changes in information technology and the globalisation of economic activities. To address these problems, we need new leadership, including senior managers and political leaders, that are clued up on information and communications technology.
Many people have said that money is power. However, in this age of knowledge, information is the new source of power - not money, which is in the hands of a few, but information, which is in the hands of many. By strengthening the information technology capacity of the department, we will be giving power to the ordinary people.
It should be noted that although those with financial resources are in a superior position to obtain and utilise information, modern information technology has given access to information to millions of people. It has enabled them to think and make decisions for themselves in an inexpensive way.
In a nutshell, in South Africa the true value of information technology does not lie in how it simplifies Internet banking, or in its ability to allow you to work from home. Its true value lies in its ability to facilitate receipt of a pension grant by an old lady in Matlapa-a-nkwalet?e and to facilitate receipt of a foster care grant by the poor children in Hlankomo. In other words, its true value lies in the ability to help us, especially the poor, to live more dignified lives as humans.
Apart from the substantial transformation, information technology will also bring about revolutionary transformation in the department. This is because, as a resource, IT has an inherent predisposition such as requiring certain skills and investments that lead to changes in organisational structure and management.
The department will have to adapt to fit into an age of information. This is the revolutionary transformation that we need for this department.
I am not sure, but I have a strong suspicion that the recent clean audit achieved by the department has a lot to do with the improved information technology system. For far too long, this department has been getting adverse, qualified audit reports. And there is no doubt that one of the main reasons for this was its lagging behind in terms of information technology. Luckily, this has recently changed, as it had to be sustained by the former Minister and the new Minister.
The importance of information and communications technology in government, with regard to Public Service delivery, can no longer be overlooked. The Department of Home Affairs, just like other government departments, needs an up-to-scratch, working IT framework to achieve optimal government-to- government, government-to-business and government-to-citizen interaction.
Remember, today's world is an e-world. We have the e-government, e- democracy and so on. I therefore hope and believe that this budget will enable the Department of Home Affairs to implement the e-ID, the biometric smart identification, cards. So as the ANC we support this Budget Vote. Bakone. [Thank you.] [Applause.]
Voorsitter, die departement se rekord het die afgelope twee jaar verbeter en dit lyk of die regrukpoging begin vrugte afwerp. Tog is daar steeds vele kwellinge.
Eerstens blyk dit dat die departement heeltemal te veel adjunkdirekteurs- generaal het. Die departement het net een direkteur-generaal, maar sewe adjunkdirekteurs-generaal, en een vakante pos - 'n totaal van agt adjunkte. Wat sou die rede daarvoor wees?
Hierdie week het e-tv berig oor chaos by Musina, waar honderde duisende Zimbabwirs oor die grens na Suid-Afrika toe stroom. Sommige van hulle loop eenvoudig deur die le Limpoporivier. Die polisie wat daar is, s dat hulle nie mense kan arresteer of optree nie, want Binnelandse Sake moet die dokumentasie hanteer. So word die bal aangegee sonder dat enigiemand daadwerklik optree om ons grense te beskerm. Ons wil weet of die Minister daar gaan ingryp en sake dienooreenkomstig beter met die polisie gaan kordineer.
Ons merk dat die departement 'n groot poging teen die bekamping van korrupsie aanwend met behulp van 'n hele afdeling wat dit moet bestry. Dit is goed, maar ten spyte daarvan is daar 'n negatiewe tendens aan die vorm. Dit blyk dat ons elke tweede aand, soos di week weer, moet hoor van 'n klomp amptenare van Binnelandse Sake wat, hetsy by 'n grenspos of elders, gearresteer is. Daar is dus steeds 'n groot probleem ten opsigte van misdadige elemente in die departement.
In hierdie verband is dit veelseggend om te sien watter inligting op die departement se eie webwerf geskryf staan. Die departement het 'n meningspeiling geplaas waarin lesers moes aandui of hulle deur 'n amptenaar van Binnelandse Sake versoek is om omkoopgeld te aanvaar en te betaal. Sover het 33,4% van deelnemers aangedui dat hulle wel versoek is om omkoopgeld te betaal.
'n Ander vraag probeer vasstel watter persentasie persone wel omkoopgeld betaal het, en 19,1% het aangedui dat hulle dit wel gedoen het. Dit is dus duidelik dat daar nog baie skoonmaakwerk in die departement gedoen moet word. Ons word deur die Ouditeur-generaal gewaarsku dat korrupsie in Suid- Afrika endemies word. Daarom sal die Minister baie ernstig na die probleem moet kyk. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Chair, the record of the department improved over the past two years and it seems that the attempt to clean up its act is paying dividends. Yet many problems still remain.
In the first instance it appears that the department simply has too many deputy directors-general. The department has only one director-general, but seven deputy directors-general, and a vacant post - a total of eight deputies. What could be the reason for that?
This week e.tv reported on the chaos at Musina, where hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans are crossing the border to South Africa. Some of them simply walk through the dry Limpopo River. The police present say they cannot arrest the people or act, because the Department of Home Affairs is responsible for the documentation. In this manner the buck is being passed without someone taking active steps to protect our borders. We would like to know whether the Minister will intervene in the matter and in so doing will co-ordinate effectively with the police.
We notice that the department is making a major attempt to combat corruption by means of an entire section. This is fine, but in spite of it a negative tendency is coming to the fore. It appears that we have to learn every second evening, as is the case again this week, of a number of officials of Home Affairs who were arrested at a border post or somewhere else. Therefore, there is still a big problem regarding criminal elements within the department.
In this regard it is significant to observe what kind of information appears on the department's own website. The department published a survey in which readers had to indicate whether they were requested by an official of Home Affairs to accept and pay a bribe. Up to now 33,4% of participants indicated that they were indeed requested to pay a bribe.
Another question attempts to ascertain what percentage of people indeed paid a bribe, and 19,1 % indicated that they indeed did pay. Therefore it is clear that within the department a lot of cleaning up still needs to be done. We are warned by the Auditor-General that corruption in South Africa is becoming endemic. Therefore, the Minister needs to look at the problem very seriously.]
The last problem to be addressed is the clear lack of accountability by the Minister's department as well as other departments, not only in Musina, but also in Waterkloof. With regard to the Waterkloof-Gupta affair, it is quite apparent that the ANC cannot run this country as it should. [Interjections.] While we are all supposed to be equal before the law, it is quite clear that some are more equal if they are friends of the ANC and the President.
There were 200 guests on the aeroplane and they should have carried valid visas with them when they landed ... [Interjections.] ... at Waterkloof Air Force Base. Those visas should have been obtained from the SA High Commission in India. That also means that the department knew or should have known about the incoming visitors. [Interjections.] Every single visitor should also have carried their passports with him or her.
The question is whether the Minister's department knew about the Gupta party entering our borders and whether officials had checked that the visitors' paperwork was in order. If so, why were they allowed to use Waterkloof Air Force Base as a port of entry? What were the costs involved in establishing a temporary port of entry at Waterkloof? If not, then it means that the Gupta party visited South Africa illegally, and that raises many security concerns. What remedial ... [Time expired.] [Interjections.]
Chairperson, I, as a member of the ACDP, was a member of the portfolio committee during the dark years, and we are really pleased to see how the department has turned around, and the progress that has been made. Yes, there are some remaining challenges, but it is a real sign of how a department can be turned around successfully and be a model for other departments that are facing similar turnaround strategies. [Applause.]
I think it is very important to understand the need for the speedy obtaining of identity documents, IDs, and for the obtaining of social grants, since we have approximately 13 million people on social grants. That is a huge contribution that we make to alleviating poverty in our country.
We referred to the Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, earlier in the debate, and we also wish to share the sentiments with regard to the professionalism around the IEC. Possibly one aspect that one needs to look at as we move towards elections - and it was raised in the committee's report - is the possible involvement of presiding officers and staff with political parties, and any impact that it might have on the independence of the IEC. I am sure that the IEC is attending to that.
The Deputy Minister referred, with great passion, to the good work done by the Film and Publication Board. I want to share that sentiment with her, and also welcome her guests, whom she referred to. However, I would like to add one aspect, and that is that I am sure the board must be disappointed about the decision by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, Icasa, to allow a pornography channel on Top.tv.
As the ACDP we, and I'm sure many people who objected to that, believe that pornography contributes to the scourge of sexual violence in our country. Yes, there might be human rights arguments as well, but what about the human rights of the women who are being demeaned by pornographic films? Surely that is also a debate that we need to open in South Africa. It is very obvious that this channel is bankrupt ... [Applause.] ... and is now looking to increase its viewership. This is something that we really need to look into. In our view, pornography is the theory; rape is the practice.
There were also some references made to court cases and the Western Cape court case about the closure of the refugee centres and judgments not being adhered to, and I would like the Minister to respond to that. I know that she was given time in the Western Cape to comply with the order, but it obviously is a concern. I would like her to address that.
As far as the Lindela Repatriation Centre is concerned, there has been improvement, but again there are concerns about abuses that have arisen. Maybe it's time to look again, as the Minister indicated, at external monitoring. I understand that when she visited the centre earlier, she said that this was something that one could look at. We know the SA Human Rights Commission has a mandate to visit it, but clearly we need to look at external monitoring and to allow people ... [Inaudible.] The ACDP will support this Budget Vote. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members, our department and guests in the gallery, Outcome 3 of the Medium-Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, requires that all people in South Africa be and feel free. Linked to this outcome is Outcome 1 of the Department of Home Affairs, which aims at secure South African citizenship and identity. As its strategic goal to realise the outcome, the department is committed to securing South African citizenship and identity through regulating and overseeing the provisions of enabling documents such as identity documents and passports, and maintaining the National Population Register.
The objectives of the department, in line with citizens affairs as outlined in the Estimates of National Expenditure, are to ensure that registration at birth is the only entry point to the National Population Register and to improve on the number of births registered within 30 calendar days of the birth event against the rolling baseline of 618 000 birth registered in 2013-14 to 669 000 in 2015-16. The department also aims at maintaining the standard of service delivery for the issuing of enabling documents by, inter alia, issuing 95% of the projected machine-readable passports of live capture processes within 24 working days in 2013-14.
The ANC regards Home Affairs as the backbone of national security, service delivery and development, because it is the custodian of the unique identity of all citizens and documented foreigners residing in South Africa. In this regard, a national identity database enables any state to achieve these goals if it meets certain criteria. Firstly, the population register must be comprehensive, accurate and secure - births and deaths and any other changes must be recorded; secondly, to secure a population register, babies must be registered within 30 days of birth; and thirdly, all citizens should apply for and receive identity documents at the age of 16, and then they must take care of it to prevent identity theft.
The law in South Africa requires that newborns be registered within 30 days of birth. However, just over 50% of parents will take a year to register their children and sometimes even longer. Another problem is that orphans and other vulnerable children are sometimes not registered, making it difficult for them to claim their citizenship later on. What is of more concern is that late the registration of birth opens up the way for fraud and leads to an insecure and inaccurate national identity database.
Another threat to the National Population Register, NPR, comes from citizens who are 16 years or older, but have not yet applied for an ID. Failure to apply for and collect an ID book at the age of 16 creates opportunities for unscrupulous officials to access these documents and sell them to individuals or organised syndicates who do massive damage to our economy and may even commit acts of terror and sabotage. The aspect of abuse and fraudulent acquisition of South African citizenship is made worse when citizens who have applied for ID books do not collect them at the Department of Home Affairs - I don't know why.
According to its annual performance plan, the department has committed itself to securing South African citizenship and identity. The department is determined to focus on three pillars as a means to realise the outcome mentioned. The first pillar is to ensure that registration at birth is the only entry point for South Africans to the NPR. The second pillar is to issue identity documents to citizens turning 16 years of age and above. The third and last one is to ensure the registration and identification of all South African citizens, foreign residents, refugees and asylum seekers to enhance the integrity and security of identity.
According to its record of performance to realise the objective of ensuring a single entry point to the NPR, the department achieved 0,3% above its target of births registered within 30 days. The connection of health institutions for on-line birth registration was interrupted by the freeze on movement of assets due to audit processes, thus leading to underperformance in this area. However, to remedy the situation, the department is finalising the audit of its assets so as to release equipment required for the connectivity of health facilities.
In registering the 16-year-old citizens, the department was 32% on target in issuing IDs to them. In registering all the categories I mentioned earlier, the department signed a definite agreement in June 2012 to facilitate the implementation of the new national identity system.
Shareholder forums have been launched in over 250 municipalities over the past years, bringing together communities, local governments, provinces and national departments. These forums monitor the local offices of the department, help detect and solve problems and fight corruption. They ensure that even the most vulnerable person gets access to Home Affairs services and that the key messages around the NPR campaign gets filtered through to grass-roots level.
In general, it is important that the acquisition of permanent residence and citizenship by foreigners should be managed in a way that ensures that national security and public safety is not compromised, and that the achievement of development goals is advanced.
In this regard, we welcome the initiative to establish a single national identity system that includes every citizen and foreigner who lives or has lived in South Africa, whatever their status. We are in support of securing such a system through the use of biometrics, including digital photographs, fingerprints and signatures. This system should be designed to prevent any fraudulent change to a person's status and its key component should be a secure register of citizens.
In combination with the live capture of biometrics and smart card technology, a single national identity system should be the backbone of the government and can make service delivery more efficient, accessible, transparent, secure and cost-effective. It will also be a powerful instrument for combating domestic and international crime, fraud and corruption. Several government departments, and recently the banks, are already linked to the Home Affairs National Identification System, Hanis.
In conclusion, the security of the identity of citizens needs all of us to work together. We therefore call on mothers to register their children at birth and for the department to expedite the rolling-out of linking all hospitals to the national birth registration online system. Again, we make a call to all South Africans who have attained the age of 16 to apply for and collect their ID books promptly, without unreasonable delay.
We extend the same call to all South Africans in our communities to participate in the Home Affairs stakeholder forums so that all fraudulent acquisitions of enabling documents can be prevented and combated. In the same vein, we sound a firm warning to some officials who persist in fraudulent issuing of enabling documents to desist from breaking the law and putting our NPR in jeopardy. We support the initiatives taken by the department to ensure that all people in South Africa are and feel free. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Mhlalingaphambili, Mphathiswa, uMama uNaledi Pandor, Sekela Mphathiswa, Mama uChohan, sihlalo wekomiti yam, Mama ndiyabulisa, nabantu bonke abakhoyo apha kodwa mandibulise abantu abaphethe la mashishini kunye nesigqeba seKomishoni yoNyulo eZimeleyo, ndigqibezele ngokubulisa ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Mr M MNQASELA: Chairperson, greetings to hon Minister Ms Naledi Pandor, Deputy Minister Ms Chohan, Madam chairperson of my committee, including all the people present here today, especially the people running these offices, the executive of the Independent Electoral Commission and, finally, ...]
... the shadow Minister of the official opposition in Parliament, the hon Manny De Freitas. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
Sihlalo, kumba weentsuku ezingama-30, nangona sele ethethile ngawo uMphathiswa, kukho abantu abahlawula iimali ezininzi, umzekelo eFreyistata umntu uhlawula amakhulu amathathu eerandi ukuya kwiSebe lezeMicimbi yeKhaya.
Izolo bendithetha nabantu baseNgqamakhwe ndibabuza ukuba benza njani na xa besiya kwiSebe lezeMicimbi yeKhaya. Ufumanise ukuba - hayi kaloku kukho iifowuni ngoku akufani nayizolo - bayafowuna bebuza ukuba liza kuza nini iSebe lezeMicimbi yeKhaya eNgqamakhwe. Kaloku ii-ofisi azibancedi bakwazi ukuwafumana onke amaxwebhu. Umntu ulindiswa ixesha elide xa efikile. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, regarding the issue of the registration of birth within 30 days, which the hon Minister touched on, there are people who spend a lot of money. For example, in the Free State a person spends R300 on transport to go to Home Affairs offices.
Yesterday I talked to the people of Ngqamakhwe and asked them how they get to the Home Affairs office. You find that - there are telephones these days, unlike in the past - they phone to find out when the Home Affairs mobile service trucks are coming to Ngqamakhwe. Home Affairs offices are unable to provide them with all the documents they require. A person waits a long time in these offices.]
Chairperson, the DA has noted the progress made by the department. It is there, everybody knows. When they want to quote a good department, they talk about the Department of Home Affairs. Therefore, it is something that is known.
Ungaqhwabi phambi kokuba ndigqibe.... [Uwele-wele.] [Do not applaud before I have concluded my point. [Interjections.]]
Much more still needs to be done; much more still needs to be done. People in the villages will tell you that ...
... asikayingcamli le nkululeko thina, kubi, ziyaduma. [Uwele-wele.] ... [we have not tasted freedom yet. It is terrible; the going is tough. [Interjections.]]
There are 117 computerised mobile service trucks equipped with satellite dishes to connect them to the department's systems. These mobile trucks, which are used as offices, are often dysfunctional. The problem is that, right now, approximately 80% of them are not functioning properly. This is something we have raised in the committee. You can shake your head, Madam Deputy Minister, but we have raised this in the committee and you know that this satellite issue must be resolved.
Abantu bayasokola ezilalini. [Uwele-wele.] [People in the villages are struggling. [Interjections.]] Go there and you will see. [Interjections.] The ideal number of service delivery points to meet the standard of access desired was set at 744. Currently, there are 407 fixed offices, 68 ports of entry, 25 uncomputerised points, where they use 4x4s for that purpose, and some refugee reception centres - obviously we know the story. In order to implement the access model in full, more than double the current funding would be required. We hope that the increase in the allocation for the 2013- 14 financial year from R327 million to R473 million, an increase of 37%, will somehow address these concerns.
Chairperson, the department has a large vacancy rate. It does not take less than six months to fill one vacancy. [Interjections.]
Hamba uye kufunda ... [Go and read ...]
... the Auditor-General's report. There are many positions in which staff members, including some provincial managers, are appointed on an acting basis. This department needs to ensure that it complies with the policy of the Department of Public Service and Administration - I'm happy the director-general is sitting there - because if it does not do so it will then be found wanting in terms of the regulations and the Constitution.
One wonders how many acting positions there are in the Department of Home Affairs, because it seems it is good at employing officials in acting positions. [Laughter.] This is happening in your office, Madam Minister, with 149 staff in your office. It is in the report that there are 149 people who are working there. What are they doing? One hundred and forty nine! Perhaps some of these people must go and work in the department. We need to second them.
The Auditor-General also highlighted in the report of the 2011-12 financial year that 41% of the staff of the department are in fact carrying out remunerative work outside their official duty. No wonder ...
... kukho ezi ngxaki esimane sithetha ngazo apha. Aba bantu bayasebenza, baziqeshile kwaye baneenkampani kodwa ... [... there are the problems we often talk about here. These people are working, are self-employed and own companies, but ...]
... every day they report for duty. This is a problem that the Department for the Public Service and Administration should address. If people want to work for the Department of Home Affairs, they must work for it. If they want to work for themselves, they must go and employ themselves outside the department. This is something that cannot be tolerated.
Ngeniyiqhwabela ke loo nto kuba ngurhulumente wenu. [You should applaud this point, because this is your government.] [Interjections.] [Laughter.] In the same year, the Public Finance Management Act, PFMA, requirements were flouted, where contracts to the tune of R3,9 million were given without following proper rules and procedures. For instance, the Construction Industry Development Board, CIDB, regulations were not followed.
Umnika njani umntu isiniki maxabisa engakulungelanga oko ... [How do you offer someone a tender when he or she is not ready ...]
... in terms of grades. Those are the problems. That is why companies are losing interest in this country, to work with government. Also, they are not getting paid on time. [Laughter.][Interjections.]
The last issue which I want to bring forward is the fact that we've got the smart ID card report. We've been waiting for this report. It was presented to the committee. When we engaged with the officials of both the State Information Technology Agency, Sita, and the department, we were promised that the report will be coming. Until now the report is not yet with us. Since 2001, we have been talking about the smart card. [Interjections.] This corruption was picked up in 2008-9 and R1,4 billion had been wasted in the cancellation of that tender. Who must answer for that? Bring those people to Parliament and we must make sure that heads do roll. We must make sure that people are held accountable.
Minister ...
... sithembele kuwe ke kuba kuthiwa ... [... we put our trust in you, because it is said ...]
... a new broom sweeps clean.
Sicela utshayele ke ukuze kucoceke. Siyabulela. [We ask you to please sweep clean. I thank you.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, we have been blessed to have had the services of a great African and South African, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who had taken over the reins at a critical time - a time when the Home Affairs department was struggling. It was a department which did not deliver adequately to our people, a department not really appreciated by the people. She turned the tide and the people took notice. We were sad to lose her, but happy that she went to make her considerable talents available to serve all the people of our great continent.
Now, yet again, we are blessed to have the services of another great African and South African who has shown her mettle in the past and is showing her mettle again by consolidating our gains and demonstrating fresh ideas to solve the remaining problems we have, contrary to what hon De Freitas has suggested. [Applause.]
What are these gains that have been made? Home Affairs is on track to achieve the annual target of 594 000 births registered within 30 days. The annual target of 80 additional health facilities connected for on-line registrations of births and deaths is likely to be achieved. The department is eradicating late registrations of births. By the end of the third quarter, 79% of the target for issuing IDs to the 16-year-olds and older will be achieved. The ID smart card is well on track as the Minister has indicated. The unabridged birth certificate was launched on 4 March.
Steps have been taken to strengthen co-ordination, security and efficiency at Cape Town Harbour with the design and renovation of a building that will house all departments that function in the marine environment. This will assist in developing a management model for all ports of entry.
The newly established learning academy has delivered certified courses of high quality to officials, including a National Certificate: Home Affairs, which has been piloted with 272 officials.
The settlement of invoices within 30 days has increased from 54% to 86%.
The most reliable evidence of improved service delivery comes from our citizens who are at the coalface of Home Affairs services. I am told by those I come across who have had recent experiences with Home Affairs that these were good experiences. They have witnessed the improvements. They are impressed with the provision of the new offices in areas that were not serviced before, with the refurbishment of many of the Home Affairs offices and the improvement in the flow of customers due to the introduction of electronic queue management. They now see Home Affairs as a functional department providing excellent services to the people. This is more or less where we are.
Where are we heading? We are guided by a clear plan. The Department of Home Affairs is driven by three strategic outcomes of government, namely that all people in South Africa should be and feel safe; that we need a skilled and capable workforce; that we also need an efficient and effective, development-orientated Public Service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenry. I want to focus on a few concrete elements of these outcomes.
Any serious modern country's immigration dispensation focuses on the attraction of foreign skills in the national interest, the easy entry, stay and exit of legitimate visitors, and the strict and effective control of illegal entrants. This is what our approach should be. This is where we are still lacking to some extent, as the Minister has also indicated. Also, this is where we need and want to and will improve.
I get the impression that we sometimes think that South Africa is such a preferred destination for people with critical scarce skills. We think that everyone is queuing to come here to this haven. This is not always true. In some ways, instead of attracting scarce skills by making it easy and attractive for those with these sought-after skills to come and stay here, we do the opposite. The bureaucratic mountain to climb makes many turn away and go to more receptive countries. This is not in our own interest and this does not serve our goals of fighting poverty and creating jobs. We need to change this, and the Minister has indicated our plans to do that.
As South Africans, we should be careful not to be unwelcoming and arrogant to foreigners. The Deputy President of Zambia went too far and crossed the line when he generalised about South Africans and their attitudes. We should not ignore the fact that we have a special responsibility to act with humility and not to create wrong impressions.
The Deputy Minister mentioned Angola and its rapid growth rate of 7%. The other night I had dinner at a Cape Town restaurant. I was served by a very smart young man from Angola who is doing a degree in information technology at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He told me that as soon as he graduates he will return to Angola, his reasons being that wherever he goes in South Africa, it's all about where you come from. The opposite is true about Angola. According to him the money is in Angola anyway, not here, as he put it, and that has been demonstrated by the 7% growth rate.
I am cautioning that we South Africans need to be careful of how we conduct ourselves. We can't be complacent and think that we have a birthright to being the preferred destination for those with desired skills. We will have to work hard to maintain what we have. It is by no means guaranteed.
We are told that the department will contribute to the level of skills and general economic development in South Africa by realising a positive skills migration trend of around 50 000 migrants per year. Also, we are told that work permits will be issued to foreigners that graduate in South Africa, as the Minister has indicated. We understand that we can expect highly skilled professionals and caring staff that are security conscious and fully committed to serving the people of South Africa to contribute to this objective. Most certainly, we support this approach, but will also monitor its implementation carefully, as we have always done.
The considerable delays in the issuing of temporary and permanent residence permits have to come to an end. The Minister addressed that matter as well. Last year, during the budget debate, I mentioned someone who waited seven years for a permanent residence permit and then got hers within a week after she stumbled across me by accident when I went to the Department of Home Affairs. Surely, this is as unacceptable as the case of Heike Ozelek, who has been waiting for hers for a long time.
So when the department has this laudable objective, but we are told in the document they presented to us that they only have a 50% target of issuing permanent residence permits within eight months, then one needs to ask: How long are the other 50% of people going to have to wait?
The same applies to the 15% of temporary residence permit applicants whose permits will, according to the department, not be issued within eight weeks during the course of this year, if at all possible. The director-general is here and listening. We would much rather want to see all temporary and permanent residence permits issued within eight months and eight weeks, respectively. We will then really become a drawcard for critical skills.
We welcome the Minister's announcement pertaining to the growth of the unit dealing with temporary and permanent residence permits, as this will certainly alleviate the situation.
In view of this and other problems with service delivery, we also welcome the establishment of the learning academy, although we expected nothing less of our able former Minister of Education. This academy and the introduction of a strong monitoring and evaluation function to manage performance are important steps. But there is a condition: There has to be adequate rewards for performance and achievement and consequences for continued failure.
We get the idea that all the staff in the department, and certainly some of those dealing with the issuing of certain documents, are not functioning optimally. If people such as these get training and coaching opportunities, as the department is planning, and are cautioned to change their attitude, they will simply have to shape up or ship out.
Our coastline security and that of our harbour ports remains a concern. The initiative in the Cape Town Harbour, which we are told will be rolled out to other harbours, is welcome. We hope to see plans soon to also address the adequate safeguarding of our coastline, which is still largely unprotected.
As far as our land borders are concerned, the proposed establishment of the Border Management Agency is most certainly a step in the right direction. We need to be in a position in the near future where all foreigners moving around in our country are accounted for. We cannot accept free-rangers any longer.
The Minister and the Department of Home Affairs have also committed themselves to effective and efficient refugee management strategies and systems. This is by no means an insignificant commitment, given the problems we have in this area. We have to get clarity on where refugee reception offices should be located. We need properly furbished offices that function efficiently. And we need to take a decision on how to deal with the economic migrants of the Southern African Development Community, SADC, countries who sometimes claim to be refugees.
Our view is that a special economic migrant visa - the Minister calls it a "work-seeker visa", but whatever we call it or however we phrase it - should be considered for SADC citizens. This will relieve the pressure on our refugee services, but more importantly, it will contribute to the economic integration of Southern Africa. Although the challenges we face are vast, they are not unassailable. At least all of us, including the Minister and the department, know what the remaining challenges are, admit these challenges - you heard the Minister earlier - and are willing to meet these challenges head-on. There is a plan. There is a course of action. Our portfolio committee will continue to persistently point to the problems we see and, with the Minister and the department, make sure that these problems are solved.
I would like to thank the chairperson, hon Maggie Maunye, and all the members of our portfolio committee. We are a well-meaning, well-functioning team that have the best interests of our country at heart. Except, it seems, when some of us come into the limelight of this particular House. In this regard I refer especially to the hon De Freitas. The hon De Freitas we saw today in this House is someone else, someone different from the one constructive man we know in the portfolio committee. And he is also quite different from his colleague, the hon Mnqasela, who has today given constructive input here. He has lauded the department for the good work that we are doing.
He indicated that most people think that this is one of the best departments, and then he pointed to certain problems and mentioned a few of the vacancy rates of the department. He referred to the people acting, and that we should have fewer people in acting positions. We all agree with that and we actually all agree with the other points that he made. Some of them may be more valid than others, but all these points are indeed important.
These are some of the problems that I pointed out to the Deputy Minister and that have to be solved. And we acknowledge these problems and know that they should be addressed. He referred to matters; I think the committee is almost in agreement with that; that should be addressed.
The hon De Freitas comes here and says that no new announcement has been made, the department is only banking on the successes of the past. Well, let's see what the Minister did, in fact, say. She announced the introduction date of the ID smart card - it's a new announcement, hon De Freitas.
She announced the introduction of the Border Management Agency and announced the work-seekers visa for citizens of the SADC and the work permit for those with critical skills graduating in South Africa - all new announcements. Now, was the hon De Freitas not in the same House with us when the Minister spoke earlier, or did he just decide to stick to his prepared speech to impress his party and his colleagues? [Laughter.] He goes on to ask how the department will meet the target; for example, 50 000 foreigners with skills attracted to South Africa.
The Minister acknowledged the problems with the issuing of temporary and permanent residence permits, and she also acknowledged other problems and did not pretend that everything is hunky-dory in this department. She said how some of these problems will be solved, as I mentioned earlier, namely that the unit dealing with these matters will be strengthened. Now, once again, did the hon De Freitas not hear what she was saying, or did he not care to listen? [Laughter.] Then he refers to the legal fees of the department being high. I think that he knows that a department such as this particular one which deals with contentious matters like immigration, refugees, asylum seekers, there will be a high degree of litigation.
If one has to resort to this type of argument to concoct an attack on the government, it shows how weak one's ammunition happens to be. [Laughter.]
Order! Order, hon members.
The 79% success rate in court cases that the Deputy Minister referred to clearly justifies the number of cases the department actually defended. But I do differ with the Deputy Minister in one respect. The DA will not surrender on court cases; they will litigate all the time, given that they like litigation so much. [Laughter.]
I must admit that the most amusing point made by the hon De Freitas was when he claimed to be in possession of a leaked document regarding refugee camps to be introduced. Now, hon De Freitas, clearly this must be a figment of your imagination ... [Laughter.] ... and I am sure of one thing, that when hon De Freitas returns to our committee he will return to being the constructive member that we know in that committee. [Laughter.]
Now, in turning to the hon McIntosh, I just want to say that this complaining about the Cubans is not a new thing! It happens every single year. I want to ask him to rather consider focusing on the contribution, or noncontribution if he can point that out, of the Cubans rather than just speak of a particular national group all the time, as he is doing. I am sure he would have welcomed their contribution today if they were Germans or Americans. [Laughter.]
Hon Makhuba is the last one I want to refer to. All I really want to say here with regard to the IFP's earlier role in Home Affairs is... Thank you very much for giving the ANC the opportunity to solve the challenges the IFP has helped to create. [Time expired.] [Interjections.]
Order, hon members! There is a notice on the gallery. There are some people who are taking photos and that is not permitted in the House. Please cease doing that before we take action against you. I now have the pleasure of calling upon the hon Minister of Home Affairs.
Thank you, Chairperson, and all the members who have participated in this debate. I sincerely appreciate all their contributions, including those of the hon De Freitas. [Laughter.] I wish to advise him that if he has letters concerning service delivery needs, he should direct them to me. Hon members from his party have done so and we have been able to resolve matters when they were drawn to our attention, but we don't use the fact that we resolve them to extol our contributions in the House. [Interjections.] He is certainly able to refer those letters to me and I will try to address them.
I chose not to deal with all the problem issues today. There is no way that the Department of Home Affairs is absolutely perfect. It is not. There are many problems, but that's not what the budget debate is about. The budget debate must be about the budget, what we have done ... [Applause.] ... during the past financial year and our intentions in the new financial year. That's my business and I have done it.
To the hon member from the IFP, with respect to the issue of UK visas, there have been lots of discussions between the two governments on this matter. We had been promised that after the Olympics there would be a focus on whether or not the visa requirements could be lifted. There hasn't been any movement and I think that the time has come for us to consider reciprocity. Certainly it is something that we are looking at. [Applause.]
Hon Mnqasela, I don't have 144 staff in the Ministry. I don't have 149. I don't have the number that you mentioned, but the few people I do have on my staff work like 149 people. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
I also wish to thank the hon members for the excellent comments that they made with respect to the entities. Indeed, we have excellent entities associated with the Department of Home Affairs, and I am sure that all the chief executive officers are most thankful for the remarks hon members have made.
Hon McIntosh, Cuba is our partner. They have excellent systems and programmes for managing and retaining the integrity of national population databases. We seek to draw on that experience, because we believe that as we move towards developing our own national identity system, we should look at countries that actually do have an excellent record.
Previously, when I was in my other Ministries, I worked with colleagues from Cuba. They were excellent in biotechnology and literacy. The very Kha Ri Gude programme, which is having such an impact in South Africa, drew on the Cuban example, and worked with Cuban technical persons in literacy. I think that they do have the capacity that we can draw on. They are a partner that we will work with, not only with regard to the skills they offer, but also because of the historical friendship that we enjoy. We can never deny the role that they played in partnership ... [Applause.] ... with us in fighting colonialism and apartheid.
I agree with hon members that we must strengthen the service orientation within the department. That is why we created the learning academy. I agree that we must fight corruption, and fight it harder. We will do so. I have told our unit on countercorruption that I want them to start being like intelligence officers. They must be out there in the queues at the refugee reception offices and see who is bribing people, identify our officials who are corrupt and ensure that they are arrested. They cannot sit in offices at headquarters and think that we can fight corruption from behind our desks. They will be active. [Applause.] With regard to the scarce skills list, I am very happy to report that just this week our colleagues in my department have been meeting with colleagues from Labour, Trade and Industry and Higher Education. We are working with speed in order to produce this list. I have asked them to work more closely with the Human Sciences Research Council, HSRC, with the Centre for Development and Enterprise, CDE, and others who hold excellent research databases that can help us as we draft this list.
I didn't come here for Pandor policies, but I came here to advance the programmes of this government. I was very clear right at the beginning of my speech that I haven't come here to promote my reputation, or a "vision", as the hon McIntosh called it. We have a vision, we have a programme, we have priorities. Mine is to ensure that we implement, and implement effectively. That is what I was talking about today. [Applause.]
On the matter of the Public Protector, we will, of course, respond to her ... [Inaudible.]
Hon Minister, I'm sorry to say that your time has expired. [Interjections.]
Chairperson, I don't wish to argue with you, but it's a pity that when we have important debates of this kind Ministers are given very little time to respond. [Interjections.] I think that Parliament needs to look into this. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.