Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister Chohan and her team from the department, hon members of this House, distinguished guests, I rise in support of the Budget Vote of the Department of Home Affairs. Mindful of the many challenges that are still facing the Department of Home Affairs, I want to congratulate the hon Minister, the hon Deputy Minister, the department and all relevant stakeholders for the remarkable and visible progress that was made during the past year under the competent leadership and guidance of the hon Minister. With the centenary celebrations of the establishment of the ANC on 8 January 2011 and as alluded to by the hon Minister in her Budget speech in the National Assembly, "We must, as a nation, pause and reflect how the South Africa of 1912 looked in order to appreciate the progress thus far". Successive colonial and apartheid regimes used the system and immigration control as part of their tools to convert South Africa into a colony of a special type. While immigration of whites was encouraged and assisted as part of a deliberate recruitment programme, blacks were carted through controlled immigration and forced removals to areas that were reserved for occupation by blacks, called black reserves.
The Immigration Regulation Act, Act 22 of 1913, for instance, prescribed the movement of black people in South Africa and made them foreigners in the land of their birth. Hon members will remember the days when our mothers and fathers had to carry a dompas wherever they went. If found not carrying one of these documents, they would be forcefully arrested. I cannot forget the days when one's door would be kicked down in the early hours of the morning by the police looking for people who did not have identity documents, IDs.
Sovereignty vests in the people of South Africa. Their will is expressed by their democratically elected representatives in periodic, free and fair elections. The goal of the ANC ever since it was formed in 1912 has been to give all the people of our country the chance to choose their government. That is why generations of our leaders and members set their sights on the objective of a new and democratic Constitution which has, at long last, removed the colonial status of African people, abolished all forms of apartheid and discrimination, and recognised the basic equality of all South Africans.
We witnessed, yet again, another credible, free and fair election at local government level about a month ago. [Interjections.] Definitely free and fair. This is evidence of the ANC's vision and dream for democracy, and confirmation that the Department of Home Affairs has fulfilled its constitutional mandate to support the work of the Independent Electoral Commission, the IEC. [Interjections.] We thank you, Deputy Minister.
At its formation in 1912 the ANC became the pivot of African unity in South Africa and beyond. Its broad outward-looking nationalism reflected both the humanist traditions of African democratic inclusiveness and the universalist values of the major religions of the world. The ANC's formation stirred the imagination of our continent.
The ANC's vision for the future was always based on the basic objectives of its policy. Just to cite two: to strive for the achievement of the right of all South Africans as a whole to political and economic self-determination in a united South Africa; and to overcome the legacy of inequality and injustice created by colonialism and apartheid in a swift, progressive and principled way.
The constitutional mandate of the Department of Home Affairs is, on the one hand, as custodian of the identity of all South African citizens. This includes the issuing of birth, marriage and death certificates, identity documents and passports, citizenship, naturalisation and permanent residence certificates. On the other hand, it is the effective, secure and humane management of immigration. It is necessary to assess the challenges facing the Department of Home Affairs against existing policy as well as the successes and progress as outlined by the hon Minister, and the priorities and objectives as set out in the department's strategic plan.
The department's role to regulate the movement of people, particularly relating to issues of immigration, refugees and asylumseekers, is central to its role in building constitutional democracy and a developmental state, permitting active involvement of the people, and striving for excellence in corporate governance and accountability. It is noted that the department's turnaround time with the issuing of identity documents has improved. Measures to improve it further are in place, and this is welcomed.
It is, however, still a challenge that the registration of the births of almost 460 000 babies took up to a year. Also, the fact that more than 750 000 IDs, mostly reissues, have not been collected raises a challenge, Deputy Minister. Many of these uncollected IDs belong to young people, especially those under the age of 17, who apparently saw little use for them at the time and then failed to collect them. This state of affairs undermines democracy and will have to be innovatively addressed.
The Minister and the Deputy Minister are applauded for the rapid and efficient facilitation of almost 2,4 million visitors to South Africa during the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup tournament over a very short period of time. This is a clear indication that the department has the ability to perform.
Another challenge is the audit outcomes, as outlined in the audit report of the Auditor-General. Although there was a marked improvement from previous years, the qualified audit - as a result of one qualification relating to asset management - remains a challenge. Financial and asset management will therefore have to be strengthened further and the audit issues be cleared to achieve an unqualified audit report. I know you are capable of doing that, Deputy Minister.
Immigration is a major challenge, and it is noted and welcomed that the department is prioritising immigration during the 2011-12 financial year. It is also welcomed that the department will work closely with other departments over the next three years to proactively attract critical skills as part of government's New Growth Path.
The ANC's policy on immigration and asylumseekers is very clear. If immigration is managed properly and responsibly it can lead to development and economic growth. As the hon Minister has correctly pointed out, immigration must therefore be managed effectively to protect our sovereignty and secure South Africans from the threat of transnational crime and terrorism and human trafficking.
Increased immigration was a predictable consequence of South Africa's breakthrough in 1994. This, however, does not tell the whole story of undocumented immigrants who cross South Africa's borders in search of safety and better opportunities. There are thousands of foreign nationals who, while they do not possess legal documents, stay undetected in the country for long periods of time. In addition, there are thousands of immigrants from the continent who are refugees, and others who hold various types of permits, including documents for work and study purposes.
It was obvious that the new conditions of democracy, peace, justice and prosperity in South Africa after 1994 would bring many immigrants to the country, especially from the African continent. The new arrivals, in the main, comprised asylumseekers from political conflicts in some parts of the continent, as well as economic refugees. Among them were people who would have come to South Africa a long time ago but who were prevented from doing so by apartheid.
While the free movement of capital and goods across national borders is growing, the movement of people across borders - especially the movement of unskilled labour from less developed countries to developed countries - is becoming circumscribed. This is a global phenomenon. During the last year, for instance, more refugees and asylumseekers came to South Africa than all the countries in the European Union collectively. Another serious challenge is the fact that the marked rise in recent years in the number of immigrants to South Africa has been accompanied by an increase in visible acts of xenophobia against non-South Africans, particularly those from other African countries.
Xenophobia, a global problem which is evident in parts of South Africa from time to time, is in sharp conflict with the strong culture of the majority of its people. It is fitting that all South Africans should condemn these barbaric acts against people from other countries, particularly here in Africa. The relationship between xenophobia and racism is inextricable. Both are manifestations of intolerance towards people who are different and, at the same time, express real differences in power and control over resources. Fighting xenophobia is a huge challenge for the Department of Home Affairs. All South Africans must therefore be committed to upholding the letter and the spirit of the Constitution, which protects the human rights of both South Africans and migrants. That is why the ANC supported the establishment of a human rights-based system for migration control through legislation that meets four objectives, which include: the promotion of a human rights-based culture in both government and civil society; and respect for migration control.
The Department of Home Affairs has to accelerate partnership-based approaches. There is a need to strengthen the border posts. Not only is it necessary to speed up satellite infrastructure to ensure connectivity, but it is equally important to have the border post network incorporated into the overall departmental network. Training courses for immigration staff could further assist with immigration along with the streamlining of the issuing of permits with clear guidelines determining which permits could be issued to refugees and asylumseekers. I thank you.