Hon Chair, hon Deputy Minister, hon members and guests, I salute you. Deputy Minister, your department has unfortunately presented a strategic plan for the next few years that faces a lot of challenges, as the ANC government would normally call it - instead of using the words, "set up for failure".
The target for the reissuing of ID books in 2010 was 35 days; and now for 2011 is 47 days. The target for the issuing of passports in 2010 was 10 days; for 2011 it is 13 days. Your department is actually planning for a decline in service delivery levels.
The 100% price increase of passports to R400 is just mind-boggling when looking at the unemployment figures and the economic situation, the majority of South Africans find themselves in. Are we really thinking about the poor?
As my colleague in the National Assembly would put it, and I quote, "A violation of human rights and an assault on the Constitution undermines the dignity of our people."
In 2010 the department committed itself to the target of 85% of all applications for birth, marriage and death certificates for new registrations to be correctly processed and issued within one day. However, this target was not met because the required modification functions could not be developed due to a lack of programming expertise in the department.
Furthermore, the slow turnaround time for unabridged birth, marriage and death certificates was due to an outdated record management system. The budget of R5,4 million is not clear on all details. I believe that the department is not open and frank with us on all activities. Look at the budget for the "Who am I Online" programme. The Minister reinstated Gijima. We are wondering if some high ANC comrades are benefiting; or if it is payback time for the ANC's 2009 campaign that was funded by Gijima. This has to be investigated. Surely, as always, it will die a silent death, as we all know.
The transfers to agencies programmes provide financial support to three of the department's entities - the Film and Publication Board, the Government Printing Works and the Independent Electoral Commission.
While on the subject of the IEC, South Africa has the technology to implement an electronic voting system with the great telecom and data infrastructure that we have. Why are we still voting on ballot papers? The only answer that comes to my mind is the political will of the ruling party playing a role in this. Ballot papers could be counted wrongly or get lost - hundreds at a time. It is all the order of the day.
The department should take off its political boots, as previously mentioned with Gijima. The Smart Card ID project was suspended by the Minister of Home Affairs in order to conduct a forensic investigation on tender processes which were not completed by the State Information Technology Agency.
Though the Minister has put the project on hold due to the identified uncertainties, delaying the roll-out of the Smart Card since 2006, the Department of Home Affairs came ninth in a survey that was conducted on companies and was the least sought out of these entities that people wish to work for. This is no wonder, as corruption is also striking at those who still believe in right and wrong.
The DA calls on the Minister to investigate the connection between the fraudulent procurement of South African passports from the department and international terrorism. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a key figure in Al Qaeda and the mastermind of the 1998 US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, was killed in a shootout two weeks ago. Surprisingly, he was found in possession of a South African passport.
In 2004, a Tunisian Al Qaeda suspect, Ihsan Garnaoui, told German investigators that he had a number of South African passports. In 2006, Mohammed Gulzar entered Britain with a South African passport under the name Altaf Ravat, allegedly with the intention to blow up a trans-Atlantic airliner in mid-flight.
South Africa is becoming a safe haven for political criminals. There are questions being asked recently: Will the ANC government help out their old friend Muammar Gaddafi, giving him political asylum after his disregard for human rights and being a killer of his own people? I would like to see how this chapter closes. I thank you. [Applause.]