Hon Chair, we meet at a time just 20 years after the father of our nation, Nelson Mandela, planted the first seeds of hope. In his first sentence to this Parliament, when he delivered the state of the nation address on 24 May 1994, he said:
The time will come when our nation will honour the memory of all the sons, the daughters, the mothers, the fathers, the youth and the children who, by their thoughts and deeds, gave us the right to assert with pride that we are South Africans, that we are Africans and that we are citizens of the world.
The responsibility to deliver on this right rests with this department. It is the work that this department does that proves that we are South African, that proves that we are African, and that proves that we are citizens of the world. The work of this department impacts on the lives of every single South African, and every foreigner that enters our country.
This is why all of us have a responsibility to make certain that this department delivers on its responsibilities in a manner that helps us change the lives of all South Africans and that breathes life into the hope and vision that Nelson Mandela had for us 20 years ago.
Lest I be accused of only criticising, let me say that we must recognise that since 1994 this department has made many positive advances. We can document the many millions of South Africans whose rights and dignity, previously denied by the apartheid government, have now been restored. The reduction in the time it takes to process and deliver passports is one example of the many successes of this department.
But we must continue to make advances in changing the lives of our people, and we have a long road yet to walk.
Millions of South Africans still walk our streets every day without the dignity of a decent job, and this department is not excluded from the responsibility of contributing to job creation.
Take, for example, the advice of the National Development Plan, where it promotes the migration of scarce skills into the country - a key contributor to the development of a competitive commercial and industrial environment. We all know that South Africa has a skills shortage. This is, without a doubt, a legacy of apartheid. It is imperative that we urgently address this problem in a positive manner.
But the new immigration regulations set us on a path to achieve the complete opposite. This is probably one of the worst pieces of legislation that I have come across in a very long time. Nothing that this department has done before will contribute more to job losses in our country than the new immigration regulations, and let me tell you why.
Hon Minister, if you are serious about building our skills base you will reduce the barriers of entry for scarce skills instead of fortifying them. If you are serious about increasing our skills base, then you will offer incentives to attract scarce-skilled people, such as offering fee-free visas. Instead, you've now added a further surcharge of R1 350, which VFS Global charges - this is a United Kingdom-based private company.
Then there are also huge backlogs in the issuing of permanent and temporary permits, and further requirements for permits only complicate this situation. Hon Minister, the solution is glaringly obvious. Open up our borders and lay down the red carpet for those who have the skills we require to build this country.
Instead, hon Minister, you are doing the complete opposite. The new regulations will undeniably make it even more difficult for skilled foreigners who apply legally to enter South Africa. In an environment where our borders are so porous and millions of illegal foreigners who are already in South Africa are slipping through the net because of a weak immigration inspectorate division, we will end up with a situation where skilled foreigners will look elsewhere for work, whilst unskilled illegal foreigners roam free in South Africa.
This approach only promotes a breeding ground for more xenophobic attacks in South Africa and does little to promote economic growth and job creation.
Let me give another reason why your regulations are a bad idea. In future, anyone travelling abroad with a minor will require an unabridged birth certificate. [Interjections.] Now, anyone who has recently applied for an unabridged birth certificate will tell you ... [Interjections.]