Hon Chair and the House, Cope welcomes the budget by the Ministry, and further acknowledges that the department has committed itself to working with all citizens to make this department one of which the government can be proud.
During the department's Budget Vote, Cope highlighted the fact that this is the most crucial department in the life of every citizen in this country. This department continues to represent the commitment of government to ensure that no one is deprived of his or her rights and benefits as a result of not having an identity document. The current challenges, which continue to render the department ungovernable and conditions in it unbearable, remain a cause for concern for Cope. Some of these include, but are not limited to, ID forgery and fraud, which has not yet been rooted out. I want to allude to the fact that, as a result of these loose and reckless Home Affairs systems, the United Kingdom, after they realised that our identity document and passport are easily forged, has had to enforce a decision that all South Africans visiting that country now have to have a visa.
Cope calls on Home Affairs to fast-track the process of introducing the new passport with the new features, which will make it difficult to forge, or to use for any other act of corruption.
Cope pledges to assist the Ministry, more especially after the commitment that the Minister has made, but while we acknowledge the co-operation and the commitment by the Ministry, we continue, as Cope, to believe that the state that the department is in currently really deserves urgent attention.
It is on the basis of the founding principles of Cope, and of our commitment to a clean, transparent, and people-focused government that Cope will find it hard to sign this blank cheque of supporting the Budget Vote against the backdrop of all these significant areas of concern that we have raised. We believe these areas of concern really deserve an immediate and prompt response.
We, however, pledge our support and co-operation to the Ministry in its attempts to change the state of affairs in the department. Thank you.