If indeed permission had been granted for this aircraft to land, how is it that officials were on hand to process all these people at Waterkloof? Exactly how were they processed and how were all the documentation for non-South Africans entering the country verified as true, accurate and not fake? According to Home Affairs, all passengers were indeed verified as correct and meeting all required legislation.
It appears that the Department of Home Affairs was very well prepared to receive passengers from the aeroplane that government claims had not been granted permission to land at that base. The feeble attempts by government in spinning the tall story does not hold water and the public won't be fooled that easily. If indeed permission had not been granted for this plane to land, then it will be logical that resources from the Department of Home Affairs would not be at hand to process passengers. According to the Department of Home Affairs, it was indeed present and successfully administered all the passengers. Government speaks with a forked tongue as it makes claims on the one side, while its actions demonstrate another. The spin and the actual series of events simply do not add up.
The Department of Home Affairs simply needs to come out and admit that it looks after those close to the President and the ANC, even if it means posing security risks to South Africa and breaking its laws, as it did in this case. The hon Minister owes South Africa an explanation. South Africans demand answers to all these questions and she must be held accountable.
This leads me to other forms of corruption, which continue to be rife within the department. It extends from the lowest levels right to the top. The Auditor-General found that the department had mismanaged procurement and contracts by awarding them incorrectly and by not following tender procedures. The bottom line is that little is being done to fight corruption. The results speak for themselves and the levels of corruption have not decreased.
I also dream that we will soon reach that stage where, in South Africa, we will reach a level where we will have a quick, efficient and effective service from our Department of Home Affairs, and when any experience regarding this department will be a pleasant, courteous and corruption-free one. It is a goal well worth working towards. We are here to assist in realising this dream. Minister, tackling these issues that I have mentioned today would go a long way in realising this. Thank you. [Applause.]