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NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 40
DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 6 March 2015
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 5 OF 2015
40. Ms E C van Lingen (DA-EC) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:
(1) Whether, with regard to the alleged training and planning of insurgent
militant operations by certain groups (details furnished), he will consider
policy changes that will (a) deal more decisively with the conducive
conditions that encourage terrorist groups to come to South Africa and (b)
prevent the said groups from becoming entrenched in our society; if not,
why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) How is his department cooperating with the (a) Departments of (i) State
Security and (ii) Defence and Military Veterans and (b) SA Police Service
to ensure that our borders become less porous?
CW65E
REPLY:
(1)(a) Efforts of the Department of Home Affairs in countering
terrorism are coordinated and organised through the National intelligence
Coordinating Committee, which includes a Project Team on Counter-Terrorism
and an Inter-Departmental Counter-Terrorism Working Group that oversees the
implementation of South Africaâs counter-terrorism approach. Policy changes
or interventions by Home Affairs aimed at discouraging terrorist groups
from coming into South Africa have already been considered and are
coordinated under this structure. Home Affairs has made significant
contributions to the reports approved by the United Nationsâ Counter-
Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) / Counter-Terrorism
Committee (CTC), regarding South Africa's implementation of United Nations
Security Councilâs counter-terrorism resolutions.
1(b) In order to prevent terrorist groups from becoming entrenched in our
society, the Department Home Affairs continues to assist in investigations
and profiling of suspects involved in terrorist activities. The Department
identifies threats and falsified immigration documents at ports of entry.
In addition, the Department ensures that suspects wanted by INTERPOL and
listed on the Watch List are V-listed and their movements monitored. At
the level of systems, the enhanced Movement Control System is being rolled
out to all 72 ports of entry and recent legislation obliges all airlines to
provide advance information on all passengers before they board planes
though the Advance Passenger Processing (APP) system. Internationally,
cooperation is assured through bilateral commissions with neighbouring
countries, amongst other mechanisms.
(2)(a-b)(i-ii) The existing policy framework allows for coordination across
the state and civil society in the management of immigration risks. In this
regard, the DHA chairs two important coordinating bodies. One is the Inter-
Agency Clearing Forum, a fortnightly meeting of heads of departments and
agencies active in the border environment. The other is the Priority
Committee on Immigration of NatJoints that co-ordinates operations at a
national level across the security cluster. In addition to the above, the
most significant policy development to engage inter-departmental
cooperation relates to the establishment of a Border Management Agency
(BMA). Enabling legislation for the BMA establishment will be taken through
the usual consultative process.