Chairperson, the ACDP has noted that notwithstanding the severe challenges facing this department, projected underspending amounts to R206 million due, inter alia, to the slow filling of vacant posts as well as delays in tendering by the Department of Public Works.
A glaring weakness in the department identified previously and confirmed by the intervention task team, was the lack of internal monitoring, particularly in the finance section of the Department of Home Affairs. The challenges, as pointed out by the audit committee, relate to late capturing of source documentation, the department of Revenue and clearance of suspense accounts.
These deficiencies resulted in a qualified Auditor General's report with unauthorised expenditure not being condoned by National Treasury.
Other key challenges faced by the department relate to the need to find a balance between fast-tracking citizen registration and ensuring the integrity of South African citizenship. Anecdotes abound of citizens struggling for years to obtain identity documents. This indicates serious service delivery problems and results in those citizens not being able to access social services, in particular
The ACDP trusts that the turnaround strategy will succeed and we look forward to an unqualified clean bill of health from the Auditor-General in years to come.
However, in view of the serious shortcomings in the department, the ACDP will not support this Budget Vote.