Chairperson, the hon Minister of Home Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, hon Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Malusi Gigaba, other Ministers and Deputy Ministers present here, hon members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen ...
... ndiyafuna ukubulela kwakhona kwimibutho namaqumrhu akhoyo: iKhomishoni eZimeleyo yoloNyulo, IEC, iMisebenzi yoShicelelo kaRhulumente, kunye neBhodi elawula imiBoniso Bhanyabhanya noShicelelo. [... I also want to thank the organisations and agencies that are present: The Independent Electoral Commission, the Government Printing Works and the Film and Publication Board.]
Obviously, we do see the large delegation from the department. I think it is very important to acknowledge that. We thank them for being here.
Elona yeza lokunyanga le ngxaki bekuthethwa ngayo apha nguzifozonke owawufudula usetyenziswa phaya ekhaya mhla kukho ingxaki. [The best solution to this problem is potassium permanganate which was used in the olden days as a cure for all illnesses.]
Last year, when the Budget Vote of this department was tabled, I described this department as one ravaged by malnutrition and kwashiorkor. At the time, my statement was valid and appropriate in reference to the situation that prevailed then. Obviously, my tone has now become "softer" and "simpler", as the President of the country used to say when he tried to uplift his standard. One of the reasons why my tone might be different is that there has been some improvement in the work done by the department, especially by the Ministry.
However, yesterday we learnt from the SABC that the Public Protector is sitting with complaints from more than 660 people who have given up hope of ever getting their identity documents. This is totally unacceptable and something must be done to address the plight of those people.
However, as I have said, there has been improvement in some areas of civic service. What I do not understand, though, is why the Minister reduced the budget for the human resource component of administration. I think this goes against the objectives and needs to be looked at.
Our major challenge remains the full implementation of the turnaround strategy and its substantive implications for the people of our country. Had the Minister acceded to the request for a meeting by the DA made on 5 November 2009 to discuss some of the key priorities of the department, together with the full implementation of the turnaround strategy ...
... ndinalo ithemba lokuba ezinye zezi ngxaki ngesibonisene saze sancedisana ngazo zingenzeki ngale ndlela zenzeka ngayo. [... I think that we should have engaged one another on some of these problems in an effort to assist and to avoid the way in which they are happening right now.]
It is also important to note that the disclaimers and qualified audit opinion regarding both the Department of Home Affairs and its two entities, the Government Printing Works and Film and Publication Board, remain a grave concern. We need a department that is free of suspicion, controversy, corruption, fraud, etc. We are a young nation and the department must employ its resources to overcome the challenges that arise from this.
We need to pay even greater attention to the problems faced by the nation's youth, both those in school and those outside the environment of schooling. We also need to encourage our young people who stay in the informal settlements, townships, cities, towns and suburbs to go and apply for birth certificates on time. Obviously, I support the Minister when she says that people must apply for birth certificates at hospitals immediately after giving birth. However, we need to encourage those who are younger than 16 to speedily go and apply for IDs.
I also want to point out that the department fails to meet its targets and objectives. It continues to increase targets without a clear plan. We will never meet those objectives if we do not plan properly. These become unrealistic and misleading to the nation. Targets regarding the turnaround strategy and the time it takes for the first issue and the reissuing of IDs and passports need to remain the same. They don't need to change, nor do we need to make them shorter because we know very well that we are still struggling to meet targets set out in the turnaround strategy of last year. That is a word of advice which I think you will welcome, hon Minister.
The structural setup ought to remain the same yet somehow we need to make sure that we have enough staff to attend to those people who come and queue at these offices. There is much that needs to be done.
The amendment to the immigration policy of the department needs to be expedited. Of course, this is unlikely to happen before the World Cup tournament, but a plan ought to be made to accommodate the implementation of the advanced passenger processing unit. This particular system, which the Minister alluded to, is one that will enable us to deal speedily with passengers travelling to our shores. Obviously, they do not want to be held up in long queues. However, without this particular policy we will face challenges in terms of the law - unless we have other means to try and circumvent that.
I am also worried about the issuing of event visas. I've heard the Minister try to allay our fears, but I don't think we have catered for all the eventualities linked to it, especially with the absence of the controversial Who Am I Online project.
We need answers regarding the two main projects. A project that remains controversial in this department is the smart ID card. I know that not only the DA, but all parties, including the ANC, are worried about the smart ID card and the Who Am I Online projects. In the portfolio committee we agreed that these must be addressed and we need to not shy away from raising them, regardless of the parties we belong to. [Interjections.] I don't know where you are coming from. [Interjections.] And you should be wary of getting involved in the affairs of this department.