...and initiating the turnaround strategy. We have to build on those initiatives she took to accelerate change. [Interjections.]
I would also like to use this opportunity to express my gratitude and that of the department to the Independent Electoral Commission for the outstanding work done in successfully conducting the recent national election, which was declared free and fair by all the independent observers.
Through the ID Yourself Now campaign that was rolled out to 2 000 schools countrywide, Home Affairs provided almost 100 000 teenagers with identity documents. Additionally, 10 000 more South Africans were given temporary IDs on election day.
The Department of Home Affairs is critical to the determination of the status of all South African citizens and all those who have temporary or permanent residence, including foreign students.
It used to be called - in Zulu - during the apartheid days Kwandabazabantu [The Department of Home Affairs].
Ngempela yikhona kwandabazabantu, ngoba uma ushada, uzalwa, ufuna ukuvakasha uphumela ngaphandle kweNingizimu Afrika, noma usishiya kulom'hlaba, noma usudinga umazisi sihlale sikhona thina uMnyango Wezasekhaya. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Really, it is the office of Bantu Affairs, because if you are getting married, born, want to visit outside South Africa, or you die, or need an identity document we are always there as the Department of Home Affairs.]
Of course, the ID is a very important document. When you write matric, register at university, open a bank account, start a business or want a driving licence, you need an ID and that comes from Home Affairs. So, you had better be friends with us, my friends! [Laughter.]
We are indeed a department that is needed by every single one of us at every critical moment of our lives. Therefore, this has to be our guiding principle as we go along.
We have two main mandates: firstly, the issuance of birth, marriage and death certificates; identity documents and passports; and citizens' and permanent residence certificates. It is not only a matter of issuance, but also the safe maintenance and archiving of biometric and demographic records of citizens and persons who have been permitted to reside in South Africa.
The National Population Register and related records constitute a national resource that is part of our common cultural heritage. It plays a crucial part in defining who we are as a nation and in building a democratic and inclusive society by enabling citizens to exercise their constitutional rights, including their right to vote.
Our second mandate makes us responsible for regulating migration. The department is required to regulate migration in the national interest, and to facilitate the movement of people across international borders and through the country's 72 ports of entry. We have to manage migration effectively, securely and humanely.
Maybe I should stress that we only manage the ports of entry; we do not manage the border. So, if people cross the border, that act comes under the remit of the security forces and the police, and not of the Department of Home Affairs.
Our first priority in this regard is to ensure the integrity of the state, while at the same time contributing to the socioeconomic and cultural development of society. In a globalised world we cannot grow the economy without securing scarce skills available internationally. To this end, we intend to adopt a deliberate and structured approach and will accordingly seek to streamline some of the regulations.
We also have a responsibility, in line with our international obligations, to receive those who seek asylum in our country. Six days ago, on 20 June, we commemorated World Refugee Day, a day set aside to remind us that we should, on that day and every other day, welcome those who have fled their homes to seek refuge in our country.
We must recognise that they have the ability to contribute to the expansion of our knowledge base and certainly to enrich our cultural diversity. We must also recommit ourselves to the struggle against racism, xenophobia and related intolerances.
We have to ensure that asylum seekers are assisted and their status determined timeously. We are reviewing the structure, size and functions of the Refugee Appeals Board. The current status constitutes a significant bottleneck in the asylumseeker processing chain.
As a country, government and Parliament, we have to develop a policy that will differentiate between economic migrants and asylumseekers. This will allow us to discharge properly our obligations towards both the asylumseekers and the economic migrants.
Announcing the appointment of the Cabinet, His Excellency President Jacob Zuma emphasised the commitment of government to "an efficient, caring and effective administration, which will be accessible and responsive to the needs of the people". This statement speaks directly to the services delivered by the Department of Home Affairs, which touches on the lives of all citizens. It is therefore important that we consider the refugee centres and try to work in such a way that we deal with those refugees as humanely as possible. This will happen if we are able to work together with the Department of Public Works. Such co-operation should improve the infrastructure of Home Affairs, while increasing the number, look and feel of our offices. I am pleased to announce the establishment of 13 additional Home Affairs service points and the improvement of the effectiveness of the 117 computerised mobile units that are used to service remote areas.
Let me remind hon members as well as the public to use the call centre. Its number is 0800 601 190. This call centre provides information and assists in tracking and tracing ID and passport applications. As the President has said, henceforth, all Home Affairs officials will wear name badges so that, for the purpose of passing along compliments or complaints, people can identify the person who rendered them the service.
Acknowledging that many children in this country are not registered, we shall undertake a huge campaign, until the end of 2011, to register all children under the age of 16, so that we delink the ID application from the application for a birth certificate.
After 2011 all children should be registered before their first birthday. This will eventually do away with the late registration of births. This will be the first step towards securing our identity, because the birth certificate is the basic document that allows us access to the ID, passport etc. The abridged birth certificate will be altered to include some security features, such as the name and ID number of the mother. This campaign is crucial because it is very clear to us that late registration of birth is the entry point for those who want to acquire South African documents fraudulently. I hope every single member will participate in the campaign.
This campaign will run concurrently with the issuance of IDs to youths, particularly those at school, from the age of 16 and above. We think this is also another way of making sure that we are able to give IDs to South Africans. Once we have done that, it will mean that, after 2011, we will only issue IDs proactively to those who turn 16.
Once the vast majority of South Africans are captured on our population register, it will enable us to scrutinise anyone who applies for an ID who is not on our population register. We will be in a position to sift those who deserve it from those who don't. This will contribute towards a more accurate and credible population register. It will also remove the pressure of issuing new ID applications during elections. You must assist us in making sure that people have IDs now, because we don't want to be put under pressure by political parties come election time. [Interjections.]