Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, hon members, distinguished guests, the Department of Home Affairs' policy debate before this august House today is informed by the ANC-led government's mandate, which derives from our 52nd national conference held in Polokwane in December 2007, and also from previous national conferences.
It was at this 52nd national conference where, as the vanguard liberation movement, we adopted policies that are grounded in the commitment to promote, protect and serve the interests of all our people. Whilst taking into account the interests and needs of South Africans, we are also conscious of our responsibilities and duties in relation to being a signatory to various United Nations protocols, conventions and declarations, and other instruments which govern the status of refugees and migration.
Furthermore, we are guided by our 2009 election manifesto that unambiguously commits us to a service delivery culture that will put every elected and public servant to work for our people, and ensure accountability to our people.
Moreover, during the state of the nation address, we were directed by our President, Jacob Zuma, amongst other things, to commit ourselves to the service of our nation with dedication, commitment, discipline, integrity, hard work and passion. Together we must build a society that prizes excellence and rewards effort, and which shuns laziness and incompetence.
As we all know, the Department of Home Affairs is grappling with a range of challenges that can, at best, be described as transient. The Department of Home Affairs' Budget Vote debate today seeks to introduce us to a period of renewal, as the input by the hon Minister of Home Affairs advised. This, we believe, will provide us with the tools to not only address the challenges head-on, but also to function in an accountable and transparent fashion.
This brings us to the vexing question of corruption in the Department of Home Affairs. As we all know, the Department of Home Affairs is a vital cog in the war on poverty, since its mandate spans the entire lifetime of every citizen who is born and dies in our country. In this regard, they represent the face of the delivery cycle of government and are inevitably the first encounter with government by any person in South Africa.
Suffice it to say that particularly the issue of corruption will be amplified and sensationalised by some members of the House and those with unpatriotic agendas. However, closer scrutiny of the department's initiatives and innovation in the war on corruption reveals that they are indeed turning the tide, despite their acknowledgement of weak security processes.
Let's look at the facts. Over the last financial year the department has established a countercorruption unit, resulting in the resolving of information-technology-related risks. This collaboration gave birth to a new system, which can detect potential fraudulent transactions. Monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance with minimum information security systems, and there is evaluation and certification of business processes to eliminate risks in new processes. Over 300 cases have been finalised. This sends out a clear message of zero-tolerance of criminality in any form.
We applaud the department for the digitisation of records in the department and also for the introduction of the smart card programme.
These initiatives and advances are indeed significant and commendable. As the select committee we wish to assure the department of our unfailing co- operation and commitment to the period of renewal.
In contrast to these good initiatives and advances, there are challenges that are still facing the department. I would like to highlight the following issues. To begin with, there is the audit disclaimer that the department has been receiving for a period of years. We hope and trust that the department will be able to deal with this matter as a matter of urgency so that, in the next financial year, when we stand here we report a different story.
Another issue is the maximisation of mobile units to rural areas. The department also has to pay attention to its office accommodation or office infrastructure countrywide. The intensification of the Batho Pele programme is also critical.
Having said that, we can by no means afford to be complacent as the perpetrators are always one step ahead in terms of devising new means and methods. We shall, as we must, remain vigilant.
In our election manifesto of 2009, the ANC pledged to establish a consensus on our future social security system to make it comprehensive and inclusive. We believe that the department will be central to the formulation and implementation of this system, since access to social security is, in turn, central to the mandate of the department. And, as we know, currently, social exclusion remains a bone of contention in all our communities, particularly for the rural poor.
In this regard and in relation to rural development in the context of the developmental state, we wish to urge the department to take up the cudgels for rural communities that do not have secure, efficient and accessible services and documents, since rural development cannot only translate in a narrow agrarian sense. As you know, the select committee, notwithstanding its mandate, namely to exercise oversight and do monitoring, is looking forward to engaging with the department in a robust but cordial fashion. We will, as we must, constructively criticise where criticism is due.
As of now, we are confident in the knowledge that the department will exercise its primary responsibility with prudence and in the national interest. Also, we wish to take this opportunity to congratulate Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on her new role and new responsibilities. No doubt she brings invaluable wisdom and experience to this portfolio. Together we can do more, hon Minister. The select committee will support the Vote. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, this hon Minister inherited the department and this warrants our condolences. This was done, we hope, because President Zuma believes that you will be able to turn this department around. It is a tough instruction. This department has embarrassed all South Africans on an international level. We are sure that even you, hon Minister, shook your head in shame and disgrace. Yes, the department failed the citizens of South Africa, mostly the poor in the rural areas.
It was amazing to listen to all the various budget debates yesterday in this House during which the hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers and members referred to further requirements - developmental programmes, policies, the speeding up of delivery, more resources such as land and financial resources, new legislation, the changing of our Constitution - but, you know, when you look at them, there are two basic requirements. One was for more resources, and the other was for more legislation. But 99% of all our problems could be resolved if there was political will with the following four points: firstly, human resource capacity in a lean, mean government structure; secondly, the elimination of all corruption; thirdly, accountability and responsibility for all actions promised during elections and Budget Votes within the set targets; and, fourthly, the implementation and enforcement of action plans, strategic plans, policies, regulations and all the Acts that are currently in place in South Africa. So, what I'm saying is, let's just stop faffing around and let's just start working because that is what we are here to do.
The DA welcomes the Minister's approach on the differentiation between economic migrants and asylumseekers. We do, however, wish to remind our Minister that her intended policy must also create an opportunity for foreigners, specifically those qualified in scarce skills, to work in South Africa. I have personally had tremendous problems when trying to register foreign young professional nurses, nursing at present being a scarce skill in South Africa.
We applaud the Minister's efforts and her programmes to bring the services of this department closer to the people. But there still seems to be a problem as one has to wait for three hours in a queue for the second issuing of an ID at the Wynberg office. But, the Minister has turned around or the department has turned around - you'd think she has a magic wand - the first-time issuing of IDs by 50% from 127 days and the second-time issuing by just over 60%. This is really commendable.
Our DA colleagues in the National Assembly pointed out that there is a 34% vacancy rate in the department and that 75% of its senior members do not have the necessary skills to do their jobs. If one puts these two figures together, then there is no senior management in this service delivery business because there are no skills and there are no people, or one or the other. So, we are in a bit of a fix here.
There should be a performance and development management system in place for each official. What we have to understand clearly - even us as we sit here - is that our salaries are calculated at the value that we have to add to the company we work for. The bigger the salary, the more value you have to add. Every single official and every single one of us sitting here must understand that we have to add value. So, with the performance management programme in place, those senior managers who cannot deliver within the first six months must be deployed on ground level so that they can work where the Minister needs them the most.
We need to do spot checks on departments and offices that aren't working. The DA is offering to assist the Minister in identifying the worst Home Affairs offices in South Africa for her immediate attention.
As public representatives, we have a supervisory role. The Minister has a role that calls for brutal action to eliminate crime, corruption, backlogs and unskilled passengers in her department. The President has spoken and the Minister has now spoken. The DA will hold them and this department responsible for effective and efficient service delivery in terms of their targets. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister and Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs, let me first express appreciation on being given an opportunity to express my opinion and that of the committee on the Budget Vote of the department. A loud call has been made on behalf of all the citizens of South Africa. This call has been made on all those who are given different positions of responsibility to ensure that all South Africans have a better life.
Moswana o bolet?e a re: Lent?u la kgo?i le agelwa le?aka. Ge o sa le agele le?aka, o tla swanelwa ke gore o sepele. Se se hlalosa gore Mopresidente wa rena wa naga o bolet?e a re a re yeng go ?oma, gobane ge re ?oma mmogo re tla kgona. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[It is very important that we respect what our leaders say. If we don't, we will have to face the consequences. Our President mentioned that we need to work hard and that together we can make it.]
The Department of Home Affairs must heed the call of the President and get down to work, as per their departmental strategic plan. I assume that the department will work hard to realise this vision.
Ka mant?u a mangwe, seboko a se tsene nyobeng. Seboko ge se tsena nyobeng se ?oma bjalo ka boro gomme se a bora - se mo?omong. Ka fao, kgoro ye le yona e swanet?e gore e swane le seboko gomme e tsene nyobeng e e bore. [Disego.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[There is a strong emphasis on hard work. The department needs to work hard to achieve its goals.]
Throughout the 2009 election campaign, the ANC reaffirmed our commitment to stamping out corruption in all its many and varied manifestations. This was spelt out clearly in the ANC 2009 election manifesto and was also underscored by our President during the state of the nation address. Indeed, the injunction by the President is clear: that a developmental state such as ours requires commitment to the highest standards of service probity and integrity. These are the critical issues we are conscious of as we grapple with the strategies and mechanisms the department of Home Affairs seeks to implement in order to entrench new value systems.
By far the most urgent and serious problem confronting the department is that of corruption involving syndicates in collusion with some of the officials, leading to the theft or illegal acquisition of identity. This devalues enabling documents and poses a serious threat to individual citizens and to national security. The problem is complex, with deep historical roots, and requires a range of responses, including the active support of government as a whole and of the public. This statement supports the statement that was made by the hon Minister earlier when she said that we need to mobilise the public in order to uproot corruption.
This department has been in the print media for some time in relation to allegations of corruption, and this is still continuing as we speak. The department must fight corruption in a very serious manner if it is serious about giving our people decent services. Fighting corruption is not a favour to the citizens of this country but a constitutional obligation. Section 3(1) in Chapter 1 of the Constitution provides for a common South African citizenship. Also, in terms of section 3(2)(a) of the Constitution, all citizens are equally entitled to the rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship. Section 20 in Chapter 2 of the Constitution provides that "No citizen may be deprived of citizenship."
A transformed Department of Home Affairs, with a sound anticorruption instrument, is a vital tool to engender public confidence in the actions of government. Although the department's turnaround strategy consists of 30 projects, which have been the mainstay of its turnaround strategy over the last while, we remain vigilant and wish to impress upon the department that corruption directly undermines the critical national efforts to defeat poverty and achieve the goal of a better life for all. Remember that corruption benefits only the few and harms the majority.
It would be unfair and politically irresponsible if we talked about corruption without talking about the involvement of certain officials. Not all officials in the department are corrupt. But there are certain officials that perpetually and continually have their own strategic plans to commit corruption in the department. If we want to deal with corruption, we must first uproot those corrupt officials so that the spirit of good governance can be realised.
In conclusion, we have confidence that with risk management and the internal controls the department has put in place it can rise to the challenge and defeat this animal which we call corruption. We bring the following aspects to the department's attention and consideration: mobile unit maximisation; uncollected IDs and those not reaching their owners; the role of centres of excellence; workable systems to manage immigration; the smart card system, port entries; the movement of foreigners; illegal marriages of young girls; registration of children; and the review of legislation.
With these few words, we, from the Select Committee on Social Services, support the department. We are behind the department, particularly on fighting corruption. As the select committee we support this budget to enable the department to discharge its responsibilities.
Ba re ?ako la hloka thobela ke mojano. Ke a leboga, Modulasetulo. [Magoswi.] [United we stand, divided we fall. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]]
Sihlalo weNdlu, Mhlonishwa Nxamalala, Zuma, mnawami Sekela Ngqongqoshe Gigaba, Mphathi kanye nabasebenzi boMnyango, uNgqongqoshe usekubeke kwacaca ukuthi lo Mnyango Wezasekhaya uyifa noma uyigugu lezwe lakithi eNingizimu Afrika. Ngithi noma nje ukhungethwe yizinkinga dadewethu nawe mnawami, kodwa uma kusetshenzwa ngokubambisana lokho kuzokwenza ukuthi nikwazi ukuhlanganyela izinkinga neziNhloko zalo Mnyango.
Ikakhulukazi ukungena nokuthululeka kwabantu bakwamanye amazwe noma nje kungabafowethu baseAfrika kodwa kufuneka kubekhona umkhawulo, singadlulwa yizwe elincane lasekhweni lethu eSwazini. Uma useSwazini uvakashile siyaye sinqunyelwe izinsuku eziyishumi nane kuphela, sibe sibheka ukuthi singakuphi lapho singakhona. Kwelakithi kukampunzi edla emini, bagcwele lonke le lizwe. Ngike ngathi ukuhambahamba ebusuku ngiyothakatha ngabafica bagcwele yonke indawo laba bantu engingabazi. [Uhleko.]
Ngqongqoshe, nawe Sekela Ngqongqoshe neziNhloko ngiyazi ukuthi kukhona imisebenzi eniqondene nayo. Lama khomishana akhona isibonelo nje, ikhomishani elibukene nokhetho kuthiwa uma ngiqondisisa lizimele kodwa loku kuzimela kuhamba kuhambe kube nomkhawulo ngoba nje kunezintela zethu kule lizwe abazisebenzisayo.
Nayo ke indlela engithi ngiyacela nje kuNgqongqoshe ukuthi niyibhekisise. Kufuneka nibheke ukuqashwa kwezikhulu ezikhundleni eziphezulu ngoba kukhona abantu abadala, engezukubasho ukuthi bawuhlobo luni lwenhlanga abanositandathi 2 omunye wabo unguMphathi Omkhulu Oyinhloko, (CEO) kuyo le nhlangano. Ezweni lenkululeko angeke sikumele ukuthi kungaba khona abantu abanjengalabo. Bese sibuya siya ezifundazweni eziyisishiyagalolunye lapho kusetshenzwa ngezindlela ezehlukene ngoba labaphathi bazitshela ukuthi bayoze bephume ngoba sethola umhlala phansi. Isib. njengoba nginamashumi amahlanu ngizophatha ngize ngibe no-65 ngiphethe ikhomishani lokhetho lapha eNtshonakoloni ngendlela engacacile kahle.
Ikhomishani lokhetho alingasebenzi sengathi umbuso. Kufuneka lisebenze phakathi komthetho nemiqathango yezwe lilandele imithetho eyenziwa yilezi ziNdlu zombili zePhalamende. Kufuneka nenze uphando ngalokhu. EMpumalanga kunezinto ezithile ezibambekayo la okuthiwa uMqondisi Omkhulu waqasha udadewabo emsebenzini. Lezinto azemukeleki ezweni lentando yeningi. Yilokhu engicela ukuthi nikubhekisise. Ngiyazi ukuthi uMnyango wakho mkhulu kangakanani. Nangu noSihlalo esengihlukumeza kodwa-ke wenza umsebenzi wakhe. Ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson of the House, hon Nxamalala Zuma, my brother Deputy Minister Gigaba, director-general and employees of the department, the Minister has said loudly and clearly that this Department of Home Affairs is the legacy or the treasure of our country, South Africa. I say even though it is beset by a lot of problems, my sister and my brother, if you work collaboratively that will enable you to share the problems with the authorities of this department.
With regard to the issue of the migration of foreigners into our country, though they are our brothers from Africa, there must be a limit. We must not be surpassed by a small country, which is our country-in-law, Swaziland. When we visit Swaziland, they give us only 14 days to do whatever we have come to do. In our country, people do as they please; they are all over this country. I took a walk one night, just patrolling, and I found these strangers all over the place. [Laughter.]
Minister, Deputy Minister and the authorities of the department, I know that you are responsible for certain duties. These commissions we have, for example the Independent Electoral Commission, according to my understanding, are independent, but this independence has limitations because they use our tax money in this country.
That is my concern, which I request the Minister to address. You must monitor the recruitment of officials to higher positions because there are old people, whose race I am not going to divulge, who have Standard 2 and one of them is the chief executive officer of this commission. We will not tolerate having people of that calibre in a democratic country.
Then let us come back to the issue of the nine provinces whereby operations differ from one province to the other, because these officials claim that they will step down only when they retire. For example: I am 50 years old today; imagine if I were to be in a management position until I am 65, managing the electoral commission here in the Western Cape badly.
The Independent Electoral Commission should not operate like a state. It must function according to the rules and regulations of the country and follow the laws that have been passed by both these Houses of Parliament. You must undertake an investigation into this. In Mpumalanga there is tangible evidence that the managing director recruited his sister. These things are not accepted in a democratic country. These are the things that I request you to deal with. I am aware how big your department is. The Chairperson is also abusing me, but he is doing his job. Thank you.]
Hon Chairperson, Minister Dlamini- Zuma, my little girl over here Lerato, who has come to support her father, and hon members, emanating from the redesign of the business architecture of the department, as well as the adoption of a new operating model intended to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our front offices, we shall, commencing in July this year, begin visiting some of our frontline offices to engage our management and officials and thus begin to intervene decisively in front-office operations and frontline services.
This will also give us the opportunity to enforce the wearing of name tags among our officials to ensure strict compliance with the President's instructions. These front-office interventions will focus, among other things, on: one, operations management; two, customer service; three, front- office renovations to change the look and feel of our offices; and four, process implementation to ensure that the redesigned work process begins to be embedded across the entire organisation.
We will begin to roll out the centres of excellence, which will be model offices intended to provide excellent customer service.
We intend to review our overall management and approach to refugee affairs, which should entail the legislative framework, processes and systems.
Part of this should include a heightened focus on stamping out corruption and the factors that give rise to it. We will also formally establish the Musina Refugee Reception Centre, to be followed in the coming financial year by the construction of asylum-seeker processing offices in different provinces.
We also intend to review and relaunch the campaign against xenophobia, to be anchored on forging partnerships between and within government departments and tiers, and, most importantly, local communities. Greater focus will be given to training, stakeholder management and public education.
We must here today express our concern at xenophobic sentiments which seem to be resurfacing in certain communities. We call on religious and other community leaders, on MPs, MPLs and councillors, to play a leading role in facilitating dialogue and mediation in communities wherever conflict involving our immigrant communities may arise.
South Africa values immigrants, because they make a significant contribution to our economic development and cultural diversity, and enhance our humanity as a people.
Our officials are the mainstay of our department, the pivot around which it is anchored. Without them, there can be no transformation. Accordingly, it is in them that we must make the most significant investment, because no amount of technology can replace them.
In this context, one of the key challenges is to recruit the right people, with the right skills and attitude, and to place them in the right positions.
We will pay greater attention to enhancing the leadership and management cadre of the department through recruitment, training and development. Partly to achieve this, and given that as matters stand there is no training institution in the country that meets our skills requirements, we have decided to introduce the Home Affairs Learning Centre of Excellence, and consequently we will this year finalise its business case and benchmark it with the best practice in both the private and public sectors.
We are pleased to report that we currently have a total intake of 760 young people involved in the National Youth Service in the department, 457 of whom are female and 303 male. At the same time, during the 2008-09 financial year, we had 191 interns, placed in all specialised areas in the department. During this financial year, we plan to recruit 300 youths for the National Youth Service, as well as 200 for the internship programme.
Hon Chairperson, information services constitute one of the most important strategic areas of our work and provide essential support to our core business. Our key target for this financial year is to build the required organisational capacity and stability in the branch, through the appointment of competent senior leadership.
As hon members will recall, the Who Am I Online project, which is intended to integrate our IT systems as a whole, was, at our request, investigated by the Auditor-General and, based on the Auditor-General's findings, a decision has been made to conduct a forensic investigation.
IT preparations for the 2010 World Cup are advanced, and we are confident that we will have our IT infrastructure ready to facilitate the movement of keen soccer fans.
Hon Chairperson, during the past financial year the Government Printing Works achieved numerous milestones, the most important of which was the construction of the new passport factory and the acquisition of the new passport machine. During this financial year we will conclude the conversion of the Government Printing Works into a government component, which will enable it to recruit and retain the skilled artisans the organisation requires to discharge its mandate and overcome historical problems. Once this process is completed, we will also appoint the board and complete the establishment of the new leadership and management structures.
We can make bold to say that we are well on our way to transforming the Government Printing Works into a modern and high-security state printer. We shall continue this year to acquire even more state-of-the-art machinery to enhance our printing capacity and services and place the Government Printing Works in a position to enhance its competitiveness. We have also made major strides to relocate the Government Printing Works to a new facility conducive to modern and high-security printing functions. We are working with the Department of Public Works to prepare it for these purposes. Meanwhile, the passport factory has moved to a new facility, and will soon be followed by the rest of the organisation.
Once the Films and Publications Amendment Bill is assented to, its implementation will include, among other things, the application of the new governance structure which will improve the board's efficiency. Furthermore, the Bill will strengthen and widen the Film and Publication Board's scope to protect children from harmful material.
We are pleased to report that the Film and Publication Board has been accepted as a member of the International Association of Internet Hotlines, Inhope, a move that will strengthen our co-operation with other member countries in the fight against the heinous crime of child pornography.
We will continue this year to wage a sustained campaign against child pornography to meet this obviously growing challenge in our society and, as part of this, we will make further improvements on the Internet hotline we launched last year.
We are working with law enforcement agencies and NGOs, as well as the 2010 Local Organising Committee to ensure that there is heightened focus on child protection against the many paedophiles who will come into our country pretending to be soccer fans during the 2010 World Cup to ensure that the World Cup is child-friendly.
Hon Chairperson, these challenges are many and varied, but, working together, we are certain that we can and will do more. We wish to emphasise that the select committee has to exercise its oversight responsibility, but we expect from it robust engagement, going hand in hand with constructive criticism, as well as suggestions as to what we need to do. Once again we say, working together we can do more. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, and hon members, our citizens will now have to apply for visas to travel to the United Kingdom. For every person who objects to this requirement, with the cost that goes with it, one thought will arise: All of this is on account of Home Affairs, the epicentre of corruption in our country.
Government accepts that corruption involving the department's employees and national and international criminal syndicates has seriously compromised the security of our state, as well as the integrity of the documents issued by the department. It is not sufficient on the policy side to merely look at a national population register to check corruption. A national population register is a step in the right direction but only if it can be effectively implemented. Has it been implemented? What has government to say on it?
Government should also look at amending further the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1997, to include corrupt officials for mandatory minimum sentences of 20 years if found guilty of corrupt practices. Many government officials are the greatest enemies of the state and the greatest lawbreakers.
Nepal has now introduced pocketless trousers for customs officials to prevent them from slipping bribes into their pockets. Government should also have established a hotline to allow for easy and instant reporting of corrupt practices. A special police unit should also have been in existence to bring corrupt employees and syndicate members to book.
Cope believes that a passport should only be issued to a person who has resided permanently at a given address for a certain length of time and who can furnish a family tree. The department should also require that utility bills in the person's name to prove long-standing occupancy, driving licences, banking details, title deeds, marriage certificates, school, college and university reports, payslips, etc, be furnished. Special accredited commissioners of oaths, who know the applicant personally and can vouch for him or her from personal knowledge, should verify the accuracy of the records before they are submitted to the department.
We would also like to see an array of biometric technologies being implemented in the travel and identity documents Home Affairs issues to improve airport security, strengthen our nation's borders and prevent identity document theft. We have also read in departmental documents about Home Affairs developing IT applications for advanced passenger information and advanced passenger profiling systems. Has this been developed and was it piloted during the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup? If so, how effective was it? If a television crew was to descend on any Home Affairs office tomorrow anywhere in the country, it would record how nothing has changed though everything has changed. It is beyond the capacity of government to detect that which any journalist can dig up without great effort. Surely a policy should have evolved to improve waiting time and to stop intermediaries from functioning inside or outside Home Affairs offices.
Finally, what is government's attitude to negotiating with role-players regarding the right to use polygraph tests? We cannot afford to do too little, too late. I thank you. [Applause.]
Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, director-general, officials of Home Affairs, hon members of this House, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to pass on my greetings to the House at large. Our President said clearly in his address that we are here because of the mandate given to us by the people on the ground. Also, we need to do our work as much as those working in the government sectors must do their work.
There has been an ongoing outcry about the issuing of identity documents and other documents. People apply for identity documents but what they constantly experience is that these documents do not reach them in time and, in other instances, do not get to their destinations. Officials keep some of the identity documents which do not belong to their areas, thus disadvantaging people in accessing their rights.
These documents are our lives. The loss of them at any given time can result in a mess in someone's life. If they are not issued in time, someone is not exercising his or her right. If there are identity documents, hon Minister, in the offices, let those identity documents be collected and use volunteers to distribute the identity documents within the communities and use a very close monitoring system for that. For this purpose, you can also use the mobile systems to bring the service closer to the people.
This department must also promote social security in society. It is this department that manages the ins and outs of this country by managing migration. People who are asylumseekers must know where the line is drawn. If the border gates could be thoroughly and closely monitored, no illegal immigrants would be able to get into our country. Illegal immigrants are also helping in committing crime, thereby increasing the country's crime rate.
The smart cards that are to be issued by the department are long overdue. We have been waiting for them for the past two years. The 2010 soccer World Cup might also bring in more illegal immigrants who will not want to go back to their home countries after the event. From this day onwards, hon Minister, security must be tightened by taking the necessary precautionary measures to avert this from happening.
Officials that are found to be corrupt must be brought to book and be charged accordingly. Put up systems that are effective, efficient and integrated, and that will minimise corruption by the officials. The department must update and maintain the national population register. Security measures must be tightened to assist in preventing officials from fraudulently entering individuals' information. In our identity document campaigns we should also teach our people that it is important to keep an identity document and what it does to the economy of the country to always repeat what has already been done.
Put up more asylumseeker points of entry in all provinces. Also, try to work hand in hand with the local government to identify illegal people and use the voters' roll because, for sure, those people did not vote and are not on our voters' roll. Each and every office should have a hidden camera, because this could help in combating crime and prevent illegal identity documents.
Without doubt, the ANC's policies on crime prevention, particularly with regard to organised crime, are working. The department alone cannot achieve the desired results. It needs us, as Parliament, and the community to assist in combating any wrongdoing. It is advisable, therefore, that this department work hand in hand with the health and social services departments if we want to speed up and improve service delivery.
Madam Minister, the strengthening of the anticorruption unit will be highly appreciated and supported. We put this on our shoulders, as a Parliament and as the ANC, because we know that there is no other government that can do this, and there is no other government that could do it better than ours. Hon Chairperson, it is only the ANC-led government that knows that working together we can do more. That is why the opposition parties, as you have heard, are making a noise because we are a moving vehicle. Hon Chairperson, this budget may not cover everything to one's satisfaction, but it is mostly welcomed and supported. I thank you. [Applause.]
Deputy Chairperson, I'd like to thank all the hon members, led by the chairperson of the select committee, hon Rasmeni, and all participants in this debate.
I think this was a very good debate for us, because all of you had positive suggestions to make. I think if we could all do that, work together and make suggestions, that would help a lot. [Interjections.] Yes, we can all do more.
I'd just like to respond to what hon Rasmeni said, by saying that I agree with her and the President, that indeed we should shun laziness and incompetence and make sure that people work hard and are efficient. Of course she's right, the department has started fighting corruption. She mentioned the fact that more than 300 cases have been completed and that many of those officials would have been dismissed. But, unfortunately, that is not the end, and we are the first to admit it.
Regarding the challenges of a disclaimer, as I said in my opening remarks, we are working very hard on that because we don't want to see a disclaimer ever again. Of course, it might not be easy to move from a disclaimer to clean, so there has to be a gradual improvement over the coming years. I think what we should be looking at is gradual improvement, and that's what we are going to be working on. Hopefully, eventually we'll get to a point where we get a clean audit.
In response to the hon member of the DA - where is she? - I'd like to agree with you and take up your challenge to go around during recess and constituency period. I don't want you to look only at the bad things at Home Affairs, but also to tell us about the good ones. Indeed, I'd like to urge all hon members to look at Home Affairs as part of the work they'll be doing during every recess. Make it a point to pop in and do spot checks, see how things are and talk to the manager if there are things that are wrong. Tell them that you're an MP and this is what you have seen.
That's why I'm saying turning Home Affairs around has to be a national effort. The MPs are going to be critical in that. So, I want to agree with you, but also ask all hon members to do that during recess and give us feedback. We really have to get this right.
Of course, I may not necessarily agree with you when you say that we need a very lean and mean department, because Home Affairs is a very labour- intensive department. You have to make sure that people fill in the forms properly. Even if we have a live capture that is done properly, it all has to do with people. So, we can't be as lean as maybe other departments. It's like education and health; those can't be lean because they are labour- intensive departments. So, we'll do our best, but we can't be that lean.
Of course, I also want to say that we have been improving. You mentioned that we have improved on the first ID. On the reissue, we can actually issue you with a temporary ID on the same day, and I think we can't go beyond that. We can't give you an ID in less than a day. So, we are at our best. We can make it shorter, but we want to be able to verify that you are a South African. That's the reason you have to go to the offices where we can verify with your thumb print that indeed you are on our population register, before we give you an ID. So, there, I think we have done very well.
Of course, we will also be improving our mobile units. We're going to be equipping them so that indeed they are like a Home Affairs office on wheels, and they can provide everything that you can get at Home Affairs.
We are going to be filling posts, but we don't want to rush into filling posts just for the sake of it. We have to make sure that we get competent professional people to fill them. During recess, we will be interviewing deputy directors-general, because we need to fill four such positions, which are vacant. So, we will be doing that. They should then make sure that they recruit competent people below them.
I just want to also agree with ...
... Mageba, siyayizwa into oyishoyo ngeKhomishani Lokhetho. Lokho okunye okushoyo sizokubheka kodwa ubuqinisile uk uthi noma iKhomishani Lokhetho lizimele kodwa ke lisebenza phakathi komthetho nemigomo yalapha eNingizimu Afrika, ayikwazi ukuphumela ngaphandle.
Uma kuyiqiniso ukuthi bathatha odadewabo babafake emahhovisi kuzofanele sikufakele izibuko lokho, ngoba akuyona into okufanele yenziwe. Kodwa ke sizoyibheka. Nalena yokuthi kukhona izikhulu eziphezulu eziphethe (senior managers) abaphase isitandathi 2 sizobheka ngoba kwesinye isikhathi mhlambe sekukhona nokuthi banesipiliyoni, asazi. Ngakho ke sizobheka ukuthi yisiphi isidingo esiye senza ukuthi kube njalo.
KuMnumzane uFeldman weCope iziphakamiso azenzile ezinye sizozibheka kodwa ... (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[... Mageba, we understand what you are saying about the electoral commission. We will consider some of what you are saying, but you were right when you said even though the electoral commission is independent, it is working within the laws and regulations of South Africa; it cannot be excluded.
If it is true that they employ their sisters as office bearers, we will have to investigate that, because that should not be done. But we will look at it. We will even look at whether there are senior managers who passed Standard 2; at times this might happen because they have experience, but we do not know. Therefore, we will look at why that is so.
We will look at some of the suggestions made by Mr Feldman of Cope, but ...]
... I just want to say, yes, during the Confederations Cup we did pilot some of the visas, such as the events visa, for instance. But, unfortunately, we piloted it only with Egypt. It worked fairly well, because you need to produce a ticket so that we know you are going to the event, and then you get an events visa free of charge. So, we hope that we will be able to do that to an even greater extent during the Fifa World Cup.
I'm running out of time, but I didn't use all my time during my opening address. If I don't respond to some of the issues, it will not be because I didn't hear them, but because we agree with some of them as they are just constructive suggestions that we will be looking at.
But, I just want to dwell a bit on the issue of foreigners. Foreigners in our country, as I said, can be classified into three groups, actually. There are those who are genuine asylumseekers who are running away from persecution. These are in the minority. Then there are those who are here because they have scarce skills; they are those who have their entry into the country facilitated. If you know of any foreigners with scarce skills amongst those whose entry into the country is facilitated, who have difficulties getting permits or visas, let us know.
Then there is the third category, which is in the majority, that is economic migrants. Such people come here not because they are persecuted, but because they are looking for opportunities. I think we must be careful not to say that they are the ones who fuel crime and who do all these things. Just as there are criminals in South Africa, there will be criminals in Mozambique and in Zimbabwe. Some of them, indeed, may find their way here, but a big portion of crime in this country is probably accounted for by South Africans, and we should not lose sight of that.
Secondly, the reason we are saying that we want government to agree to a policy of separating the asylumseekers from economic migrants is because we want to be able to get everybody who comes into the country documented properly. Then we'd know where they are; what they are doing, unlike uMageba.
UMageba othi, uthi uma ehamba ebusuku ethakatha ababone begcwele yonke indawo kufanele sibazi ukuthi baphi, benzani, uma besebenza basebenza kuphi futhi kanjani. Ngakho ke yingakho sifuna ukuhlukanisa khona sizokwazi ukubasheshisa ngoba... (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[It is Mageba who says, when he walks at night patrolling he sees them all over the place; we have to know where they are, what they are doing, where they are working and how they are working. Therefore, that is why we want to separate the issues so that we are able to speed up the process because ...]
... processing the asylumseeker is a very long process; it can take years to complete, yet you know that these people are not asylumseekers. But, if they lose the case, they appeal and the appeal process takes long. If there was an opportunity for them to just register as economic migrants, we could do that very quickly. So, that is the reason we'd like to change that process.
With regard to IDs that are in the offices, yes, I can give you, Comrade D Rantho, a breakdown. As we speak, there are just under half a million IDs that have not been collected countrywide. By the end of the first week in June, there were fewer than that. However, their number is now increasing. One of the campaigns that MPs must help us with is to encourage people to look after their IDs. These are lean times; we don't have money. We can't be producing and reissuing a million IDs that people don't even bother to collect afterwards. People misplace their IDs and now that they have been reissued, they don't care to collect them. It's going to be very difficult; if our budget is cut, that's where we are to cut - on reissuing of IDs. So, people must look after their IDs.
Abantu abanakekele omazisi babo njengezikhali zamantungwa. [People must take good care of their IDs.]
They must look after their IDs as though their life depends on them.
I'd like to thank you for your indulgence. We will meet again and continue our discussion, but thank you for supporting our budget. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.