Department of Home Affairs 2012 Strategic Plan
Meeting Summary
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) presented its strategic and annual performance plan and budget for 2012. The budgeting process was described, and specific line item allocations were indicated. The DHA received funding of R5.8 billion in 2011/12, rising to R6.3 billion in 2014/15. Extra funding was allocated for re-training of immigration officials and civic officials on security awareness, security upgrades, profiling border community immigrants, advance-passenger processing and capacity, as well as funding of additional posts in Immigration Affairs and Counter-Corruption units, improvements to financial management, and for a new DHA head office and modernisation of systems. The DHA noted that its main challenges related to insufficient funding for implementation of the border post infrastructure, although this was not solely the responsibility of the DHA, and it had lack of capacity for sea and air ports of entry, and for the advance-passenger processing systems. It acknowledged that more financial skills were still needed.
Members asked whether there would be any further special dispensation for Zimbabwean nationals who had not applied for permits, including those whose children had been born in
Meeting report
Mr Mkuseli Apleni, Director General, Department of Home Affairs, noted that the planning and budgeting process in the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) was based on the strategic plan, covering the three years of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). The priorities for each of those three years were then listed in the Annual Performance Plan (APP), and the budget would be calculated on each of the key performance areas outlined in those plans.
He commented on the way in which the budgeting was done for a few selected line items. For instance, compensation of employees was calculated on an incremental budgeting approach, using the past year’s compensation multiplied by an inflationary increase determined by National Treasury, plus a calculation for any additional staff needed to implement the APP. Contractual obligations such as leases were calculated taking into account escalation clauses in those agreements. Operating costs, such as telephone costs, were also calculated using incremental budgeting, and all other expenditure was calculated using zero based budgeting. Once the costing was completed, the DHA would present the budget to National Treasury for approval.
He outlined the amounts requested (see attached presentation for details) as well as the National Treasury allocations for the medium term, and noted that, in addition, specific programmes received some extra funding, bringing the total allocations to R5.8 billion in 2011/12, R5.3 billion in 2012/13, R6.3 billion in 2013/14 and R6.3 billion in 2014/15. The extra funding was allocated for re-training of immigration officials and civic officials on security awareness, security upgrades, profiling border community immigrants, advance-passenger processing and capacity, as well as funding of additional posts in Immigration Affairs and Counter-Corruption units, improvements to financial management, and for a new DHA head office and modernisation of systems. The detailed budget and expenditure comparisons for the years 2009/10 to 2011/12, was set out in slide 16 of the attached presentation.
Mr Apleni noted that the challenges the DHA faced included insufficient funding for the implementation of the Border Post Infrastructure, although this was not solely in the hands of the DHA. It had inadequate capacity within sea and air ports of entry. There was still a need for more skilled financial management capacity, and more people to work in this field. DHA needed to work on the advance-passenger processing system and to have adequate funding for it.
Discussion
NOTE: Not all the questions may be reflected, due to problems with the audio recording
Ms M Makgate (ANC,
Mr Apleni noted that the DHA had set a time frame for Zimbabwean nationals to come and register formally, with a moratorium on deportations, but that window period had now closed. Anyone who was illegally in
Mr T Mashamaite (ANC,
Mr Apleni said that the issue of the borders was not something the DHA could handle on its own.
Mr S Plaatjie (COPE,
Mr Apleni agreed that there was not completely equity, but that would be rectified over time.
The Chairperson stated that in
Ms B Mncube (ANC,
The Chairperson thanked the Department for the presentation and the Committee members for the contributions.
The meeting was adjourned.
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