Chairperson, let me begin by thanking all the members for the positive contribution they've made. I hope that your inputs today have instilled the sense of confidence in our citizens that we have to unite when dealing with these matters of national security.
Chairperson, I don't have enough time, but I'll make an attempt to deal with some of the specific questions which have been raised. The first one is about financial controls and accountability. I just want to reassure members that we still remain very committed to account to Parliament. We see the value of accounting to Parliament; we see the value of interacting with the inspector-general and the Auditor-General because it is only through these institutions that we can identify our gaps and improve our capabilities as the intelligence community.
Some members have spoken about our private company called Comsec, formally Electronic Communications Security (Pty) Ltd. It is true - and we have reported this to the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence, JSCI, and that there are challenges within this company. It is a company that is supposed to be a private company but operating within the public sector of the intelligence community. There were challenges right from its birth so the fault doesn't only lie with those who are managing it. It is in this respect that we undertook to restructure the intelligence community to streamline these components and entities. In this regard, it is true that we have been working very closely with the Auditor-General and there are still problems. Last year, we did ask the board - because it is a private company - to do a wind-up report. Then it could be presented and we would be able to wind up the company, because the National Treasury did allow us to wind up the company so that it can become a branch of the State Security Agency. It is my intention, in the next few days, to dissolve the Comsec Board because it has failed to give that report for over six months, now. We will move with speed to incorporate the concept back into the State Security Agency so that it can start putting the measures in place.
On the 2008 Ministerial Review Commission Report - Mr Landers has adequately dealt with the matter - I would also like to emphasise that, as government, we considered this matter. Some of the issues which were contained in that report are part of the review which we are already undertaking. The difficulty is that the report didn't follow the normal procedures. It didn't finalise these processes in the Cabinet; it was not approved by the Cabinet, but while the Cabinet was still considering the report it was leaked to the media and it was there. There was no way that the Cabinet could endorse such processes, because that is undermining all processes and the procedures of Parliament. In short, while that report may have some of the important issues that we are incorporating in our own restructuring, it has no official status in government. Therefore, we will not table that report in Parliament. Chairperson, I want to comment on the killing of farmers - I'm sure Nyambose will also be able to deal with this matter at length tomorrow. There is no evidence that the killing of farmers predominantly emanates from illegal arms which come from outside the country. Most of the criminal syndicates who operate may include people who may be foreign nationals and have South Africans as their leaders. It is our own citizens who lead these syndicates that commit these crimes.
I think the issue of reducing firearms in the community in general and removing illegal firearms is the project which we fully support as government. In this regard, Minister Mthethwa did extend amnesty - I think it just expired - to all the citizens who do not need these weapons. When they come and rob you in your house, the first thing they look for is your safe and your gun; and that is how these legal guns are being converted into illegal firearms.
One of the members commented on the killing of farmers. Our plea is that we should not politicise this killing of farmers. Killing of farmers is a criminal matter and it must be dealt with as a rule of law matter. It is very important, because we have seen this with the recent killing of the leader of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, AWB, where some of the members of the community were trying to politicise this matter or even claiming that some liberation song contributed to such killing. We have not seen that evidence. I think it is important, because the whole world was looking at this matter and were very happy about the way this government has dealt with the matter as a rule of law.
In this regard, even President Obama recently praised President Zuma saying that they have full confidence now in South Africa since we have shown that we can deal with the challenges through the manner in which we dealt with this killing. In short, we call upon all political leaders to condemn such killings; for the donor sisters as a nation to move forward; and for the donor sisters in ensuring that there is this cohesion, because it's through this unity that we can assure that everyone prospers in South Africa.
To clarify some mandates in respect of the border management agency, we will come back to Parliament once the process has gone through the process of government authorisation. As we have said, we have finished the feasibility study; the task team led by the directors-general has done its work; and that feasibility study is now undergoing scrutiny by the Department of Public Service and Administration and the National Treasury so that when we form it, we will ensure that the correct level of personnel to do these functions are clarified and the budget is available for it to operate.
As we said, we are not waiting for the actual formation of this border management agency, but we are taking steps to ensure that we close all these gaps. That is why we are busy trying to increase the capacity of the existing or current border co-ordinating committee in order to reduce any vulnerabilities as we move towards the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
We are working very closely with the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, on the identity documents, ID, fraud matter. We believe that through the programmes she has put in place and by working with the whole security cluster, we will be able to overcome this problem. The Minister has urged us as Members of Parliament and the community to bear in mind that, in general, one of the weakest points in ID fraud scenario is that we allow the late registration of births where people as old as I am come and apply for a birth certificate. Once you get a birth certificate, you get access to all our documents. We hope that the members will spread this message, because it is very common that you get people from our neighbouring countries claiming - without even having any African origin - that they were born in these neighbouring countries and then claiming these documents.
We are not just limiting ourselves to IDs or improving the integrity of the identity documents; this year we will move to other critical databases, whether in transport or economic departments, to ensure that they also have integrity, because, if not, that may have negative consequences on our own economic development and progress.
Lastly, on the issue of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, we would like to give the reassurance that, as of today, we have been working with all security agencies around the world. We have been asking them if there was anything they heard elsewhere which might become a threat to this tournament; none of them have said that there is a specific threat.
As we have said, we are not lowering our guard, but will continue to co- operate. We have a plan - General Cele has put this plan to the world and everyone has accepted it. We are working around that plan, but we also have a plan through our national disaster plan in case of any disaster which might happen during the event so that we would not be found wanting in that respect.
Some members have complained that the figures about tourism seem to be declining. But all of us know that the effect of global recession has had a significant impact not only on South Africa, but around the world. People are losing jobs; people have very little disposable income. But, despite that, as we go around the country and the world, we see a lot of enthusiasm in respect of people who want to come and witness this world event in South Africa. So, we will welcome them on 11 June and we hope that every South African will contribute in ensuring that this event is enjoyable and memorable. Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Applause.]