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.]