Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon Members of Parliament, guests, ladies and gentlemen, to realise the benefits of immigration while minimising its risk, requires that South Africa puts in place the laws, systems, processes and people that are needed to manage immigration effectively. Such an approach requires the active and co-ordinated participation of many departments and civil-society partners.
In this regard, the department has begun robust engagement within government. The department, in line with the mandate from the ANC and the masses of this country, undertook a process to completely transform and stabilise the issuing of birth certificates, identity documents, death certificates, marriage certificates and permits, which included the process of documenting Zimbabwean nationals. The South African government understands the value of immigration and acknowledges the contribution of immigrants to the development of South Africa's economy.
We have to put some checks and balances in place to combat the spread of organised crime, cybercrime, money-laundering, human trafficking and corruption. We must discourage the abuse of our open immigration policy. Our legislation states clearly that foreign nationals who have been issued with visitor and medical treatment visas will not be able to change the status of these visas while in South Africa.
The issuing of identity documents and birth registration certificates is linked to the facilitation of access to social grants, a means to alleviate poverty and hunger. Thus this core duty of the Department of Home Affairs contributes directly to the realisation of Millennium Development Goal 1, which deals with the eradication of poverty and hunger.
Securing the integrity of the National Population Registration is linked to empowering women, as it facilitates their participation in socioeconomic affairs and strengthens the legitimacy of compensation and inheritance claims of, in the main, women beneficiaries. In that regard, it contributes to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 3, which deals with the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment.
The department is doing very well in assisting the Independent Electoral Commission to hold free, fair and credible elections that truly represent the will of the electorate. The Department of Home Affairs is ensuring that South Africans who want to participate in the forthcoming local government elections are in possession of valid identity documents that will allow them to register as voters.
The Department of Home Affairs is appealing to South Africans who have previously applied but have not yet collected their IDs, to do so as soon as possible at their office of application. The department will make every effort to ensure that South Africans exercise their democratic right to vote.
Whilst we acknowledge that there is a backlog, we also want to highlight that there is a steady improvement in service delivery, which is recognised and recorded in the 43 regional offices across the country. Last month the department announced that measures to clear backlogs relating to permit applications have been successful. What quality service delivery! This is in line with the department's commitment to ensuring that these backlogs are resolved.
The department is processing all outstanding applications, and we believe that with the new Budget that is tabled today most of the said work will be addressed accordingly. It is our expectation that in due course the outcome of the process will be communicated to the applicants.
This comes within the context of the department's commitment to ensuring that foreign nationals who add value to South Africa are able to receive the relevant permits expeditiously, while those undesirable elements who want to exploit our country and its people are prevented from doing so.
All permits for applications up to the end of January 2011 have been dispatched to their respective offices. Applicants are notified through an SMS generated through Track and Trace informing them of the outcome of their application. Those in the category of special cases are contacted by an official from the customer service centre. Only applicants who have not received communication from the department as aforementioned should contact the department's customer service centre on 0800 601190. We should, however, emphasise that applications for documents from Zimbabwean nationals are still being finalised and are therefore not included amongst those in the backlog that has now been processed.
In paying attention to safe citizenship and identity, let's look at the issue of the passport application fee that has increased. The British government imposed visas on South Africa because our passports could be copied by organised criminals, syndicates, money launderers - by anybody. South Africa has since seen the above as a wake-up call for the department to come up with a passport that will secure South African citizens and that has to be enhanced with security features. The new passport is printed with much more secure features, hence the expense. This was done so that the passport could be secure and our people could travel freely to any part of the world. Prior to the implementation of safety measures, research was conducted in the region.
The Department of Home Affairs' vision is a safe, secure South Africa where all of its people are proud of and value their identity and citizenship. Its mission is the efficient determination and safeguarding of the identity of the status of citizens and the regulation of immigration to ensure security, promote development and fulfil our international obligations. Subsequently, the Department of Home Affairs' value statement commits it to being people-centred and caring; patriotic; professional; having integrity; corruption-free and ethical; and efficient and innovative.
The department seeks to enforce the implementation of the Film and Publication Act, a single classification system for the country, and the establishment of strategic partnerships with industry, government and the nongovernmental organisation sector in South Africa, regionally and internationally. The Film and Publication Board mission is to ensure efficient and effective consumer protection through the regulation of media content, whilst empowering the public, especially children, through robust information sharing - a content regulator that classifies submittable materials and monitors compliance by distributors in order to protect children from exposure to undesirable content and that combats child pornography. This cannot be attained without a Budget. More funds are needed for further research and policy development.
The Government Printing Works implements sound financial management, while cultivating a commercial-oriented culture. It is the vision of the Government Printing Works to provide cost-effective, reliable and quality services to all tiers of government in security printing and to provide the public with equitable information. The Government Printing Works disseminates government information through technology, innovation and service excellence. Key values, such as reliability, integrity, accuracy, stakeholder satisfaction, are belief systems that motivate our people to provide excellent service to all our stakeholders.
In summing up, I would like to emphasise the fact that it is important to understand the context with regard to birth registration. Under apartheid the births of Africans in particular were often not registered and this has continued in communities that are remote. A process of late registration of birth was established to provide an opportunity for these citizens to be registered and acquire enabling documents. We cannot turn a blind eye to national and international syndicates who work with corrupt officials, seriously compromising the National Population Register and national security by selling and duplicating identities. The impact of the National Population Register campaign has been significant and illustrates the power of the combination of stakeholder activism and co-operation between departments and spheres of government. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. Re a leboga. [Thank you.] [Applause.]