Hon Chairperson, the hon Mnisi started off her speech by referring to the "drastic concession" spoken of by O R Tambo, to the effect that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it". Do you really want us to take you seriously? Are you saying to the Khoi and the San people, who have first nation status, that South Africa belongs to them because of some drastic concession by the ANC? You can't be serious.
The Department of Home Affairs has come a long way and we are thankful that the department has made strides in certain respects. It is also important that the department is no longer a nonsecurity department but has become a security department.
The reason for that is the practical reality that South Africa has become a safe haven for crooks from around the world, and we know that. It's a tragedy that the ANC is only now suddenly waking up and wanting to take the necessary steps. While we welcome those steps and we definitely need them, what have we been doing over the last 20 years about protecting South Africa in that regard? We've had porous borders and people coming in from everywhere, making South Africa their safe haven. Do we really still need 72 points of entry in this country? Do we need 72 points of entry? I don't think that is really necessary.
Hon Minister, in the department's annual report you refer to the whole question of employment equity and the status of the people in the employment of the department. I know that the Constitution clearly states that "public administration must be broadly representative of the South African people" - "broadly representative". What does that mean exactly? I know that the ANC government has taken that provision in the Constitution of being "broadly representative" to mean absolute representation. But you have even gone beyond that.
In the Department of Home Affairs you refer to the different population groups as being African, coloured, Indian and white. I don't think that is correct. We are all African. If you want to do it correctly, then you should speak of black, coloured, Indian and white, because we are all Africans - regardless of what you have referred to, hon Mnisi.
If you look at that, you will find that those defined by the department as "African" are supposed, in terms of absolute representation, to be 79% of the people in the department. However, at the moment you have 86,58%. You have 7,58% too many what you call "Africans" and too few coloureds, Indians, whites and people with disabilities.
Now, we also know that there is a lack of capacity in the department in regard to critical areas such as the inspectorate and finances. I want to ask the Minister - and I'll check this in the next report when it comes - that he rectify his own approach in regard to absolute representation because it is currently skew and not correct.
Then, the fact of the matter is that we think it is vitally necessary that we have the new approach in regard to our integrated border management, and we will support that. However, there is one thing that the Minister must take very seriously, and here I have to support my colleague from the DA. What he said regarding the new visa regulations is absolutely correct. [Interjections.] What we need at this time is economic growth, and we should not scare people away with an unreasonable kind of approach in this regard. Thank you.