Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members and guests, on behalf of the IFP, let me first welcome the newly appointed director-general, Mr Mkuseli Apleni. We look forward to a good working relationship. In order for the Department of Home Affairs to fulfil its civic functions of acting as a custodian of citizenship and identity, the regulator of immigration and of ports of entry, and the promoter of international relations, it requires a highly dedicated, efficient and competent leadership and staffing contingent.
In the area of performance delivery, we note that the department has had a mixture of successes and failures regarding target turnaround times for the issuing and reissuing of identity documents. We further note that it has set itself even higher turnaround goals for the 2010-11 period. We hope the department is not following a strategy of overpromising and then delivering less. We caution it to rather set incremental goals that are more readily achievable.
Another issue is misinformation given to citizens when they interact with officials at Home Affairs offices. Such misinformation results in a citizen having to make five different trips to the departmental office in order to complete an application for an identity document or passport. This is unacceptable and its cause must be identified and corrected.
However, praise is in order for the department's call centre, which is efficient in the handling of public queries. We also praise the call centre for its proactive approach to the Who Am I Online project, which promotes the transition to a paperless working environment. The issuing of identity documents at schools is also a step in the right direction and should greatly alleviate the burden on the Home Affairs frontline offices. Proactive initiatives such as these will go a long way in assisting government departments with performance delivery.
Currently the department's major focus is on preparations for the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the sudden influx of foreign tourists and football teams that will begin within the next 57 days. We trust that the Minister is prioritising the changes to immigration procedures, as specified by Fifa. We also trust that the football fans will have a problem-free entry and a problem-free exit from South Africa.
Another great concern is the human trafficking that will occur. Are all our officials at our ports of entry properly trained to identify and handle situations of this nature, if and when they arise?
The IFP is concerned that within the department the spectres of corruption and a poor work ethic still rear their heads. The department must continue to deal with this swiftly and decisively because it eventually leads to total departmental dysfunction. This impacts negatively on the lives of our citizens because they receive substandard service in their dealings with the department.
While doing an admirable job during elections, the Independent Electoral Commission has still not remunerated some election officers in rural areas for the work done during the elections of last year, April 2009. This is unacceptable and must be rectified, because these election officers are among our needy people. We are facing local government elections in 2011 and do not wish to see a repeat of this situation.
The smart card ID system, which was introduced more than 10 years ago and approved by Cabinet in 2001, has yet to materialise. Last year the Minister indicated that the smart card process had been stopped. The Minister also admitted last month that National Treasury has not given the department any budget allocations for the project this year. The Minister needs to provide clarity on this project. These are but a few of many challenges that face the Minister and her team during this year. This is an extraordinary year in that we have the World Cup, and it's the year in which the department will have to step up its game in order to achieve the lofty goals it has set for itself. We wish you well, Minister. In conclusion, the IFP supports the vote. Thank you. [Applause.]