House Chair and Deputy Minister, I would like to start this debate by borrowing courageous words from the world-renowned strategist, Sun Tzu, when he said:
When you do battle, even if you are winning, if you continue for a long time it will dull your forces and blunt your edge; ... your strength will be exhausted if you keep your armies out in the field for a long time, your supplies will be insufficient.
We must, Chair, appreciate, where it is due, the effort taken by the Ministry and its department to digitalise and reconstruct the Department of Home Affairs after it was hit by a cataclysm of corruption. The Department of Home Affairs has to utilise its allocated budget efficiently to accelerate service delivery, continue to fight corruption and create decent jobs. The other major challenges are to deal decisively with the fraudulent identity document, ID, scam where fake identity documents are used to perpetuate criminal activities.
This department deals with tourists, immigrants, asylumseekers, refugees and South Africans alike on a daily basis. Therefore, the frontline staff in these areas must always be up to their task and well trained, and they must desist from participating in well-orchestrated corruption and fraud. Poor performance cannot be rewarded. The department cannot afford to pay out bonuses to underperforming staff. A United Nations special report on human rights stated earlier this year that whilst South Africa has a fine Constitution, its handling of illegal migrants is not par excellence. It is therefore vital for the Department of Home Affairs to recognise and measure the scale of undocumented migrant labour in South Africa.
Another fundamental issue is the cost of litigation against the Department of Home Affairs because of the shortcomings and the failures of the department itself. The legal challenges that have faced the department are ones in which the department has failed to deliver basic services or acted in a potentially unlawful manner. It is a concern when people have to take the department to court in order to get it to perform its mandated duties. Furthermore, it comes at a great expense not only to the South African public but also to the person who is being denied services from the department.
In conclusion, Chair, the Department of Home Affairs has come a long way in rebuilding its image in the broadest community sense, and in winning back the trust of its clients. The Minister and Deputy Minister must marshal their armies to the task at hand and never look back. Cope supports the Budget Vote.