Madam Speaker
It is a pleasure to introduce the debate on the Home Affairs
Budget Appropriation for the 2002/2003 financial year.
At the outset, I wish to pay tribute to my former Deputy, the
Hon. Charles Nqakula, who ably shared the responsibilities of my
portfolio from January 2001 to May 2002. I thank him sincerely
for his support and congratulate him again on his new
appointment. I wish also to welcome my new Deputy Minister, Mrs
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. I trust we too will work together as a
team in this demanding portfolio.
In this year's State of the Nation Address, His Excellency
President Mbeki has urged us to expand access to service delivery
and a better life. My Department has made several contributions
towards this goal by improving on our service delivery with the
aim of "Rendering World-class Service" to millions of
South Africans, from rural villages to modern city suburbs. To
this end, my Department has integrated its priorities into the
various Government clusters and obtained allocation of funding
for key projects due to our participation in intergovernmental
structures and processes. We have begun operating in terms of the
required planning framework and have tabled our second strategic
planning document, while seeking to optimise allocation of public
resources through co-operative governance and intergovernmental
relations. I must add, however, that under-funding will
inevitably result in budget shortages. Despite reprioritisation,
key aspects of departmental activity remain under-funded and
adversely affected.
The two key considerations in the initial departmental budgeting
process and the reprioritisation undertaken to address funding
deficits have been tied to our strategic priorities set out in
our Strategic Plan and their link to the Government's National
Programme of Action, as well as to the priorities determined by
the Cabinet and FOSAD Clusters of which the Department is a
member. However, critical priorities affecting our ability to
provide a world-class service remain unfunded, adversely
impacting overall governmental performance in many spheres.
The current fixed establishment of the Department consists of
7320 posts of which 697 are vacant and not funded, and 477 are
severance package posts which cannot be filled, creating
dissatisfaction from customers with the services received at our
offices. Rendering a world-class service while operating with a
vacancy rate of more than 16% on an establishment based on the
needs of 1995 is impossible. Therefore, the Department is
compiling a new staff establishment.
It is also necessary for my Department to work smarter. We are
moving from manual processes to electronic systems, gradually
computerising more and more offices. Automation will also assist
the Department to curb corruption amongst officials by
eliminating weaknesses in the current largely manual system and
providing auditable checks and balances.
For the current financial year, 30 offices within the 10 regions
have been identified for computerisation. The Eastern Cape,
Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, which are now less than
50% computerised, are high priority. Sub-regional offices will be
equipped with passport capturing machines. We aim to allocate at
least one passport capturing station per sub-region.
In moving towards electronic systems, we must ensure well-trained
personnel and continuous capacity building. Consequently, the
Department will increasingly spend funds on adult basic education
training and administrative and functional training. Our main
areas of focus are advancement of managerial and supervisory
skills and line functional improvement. Of particular note is our
involvement in the Presidential Strategic Leadership Programme
for all senior management. Appropriate courses have also been
developed for supervisors at the intermediate and lower levels.
In the field of functional training, emphasis is on equipping
staff to enhance effectiveness and efficiency and to prepare the
implementation of new policy initiatives, such as the new
immigration management system set forth in the new Immigration
Act.
Turning to Civic Services, last year I indicated that my
Department had begun re-evaluating the present location of its
network of offices, to bring services closer to the public.
Various options are being evaluated, among which is the
conversion of freight containers into offices, especially in
remote areas. My Department will look at a variety of options to
reach out to our communities in rural and marginalised areas. The
container project is but one option. Other options include mobile
units similar to those employed by the South African Police
Service and small buildings in certain areas, depending on the
circumstances, aiming for maximum cost effectiveness and
practicality.
These are interim solutions pending the complete restructuring of
civic affairs once the HANIS project is complete. A stronger
information technology core will allow the devolution of civic
affairs service delivery to municipalities and one-stop
government facilities, so that our citizens may obtain identity
documents, registrations of births, deaths and marriages and
related certificates from a variety of points of distributions,
including municipal offices. This will redress the apartheid
legacy of unequal distribution of our offices, throughout South
Africa.
Late registration of births has been abused by illegal foreigners
to obtain South African citizenship. Screening committees were
established during 2000 to prevent the approval of applications
for late registrations of births where the applicants cannot
substantiate South African citizenship, and where false
information is furnished by foreigners illegally in the country.
The success rate of screening committees proved to be below
expectation as the system was still abused. Applicants whose
births were not registered have had ample time to do so, and we
are now investigating other forms of severe scrutiny to ensure
the bona fides of each application, mindful that every South
African has the constitutional right to be registered no matter
how late in life he or she may choose to do so.
New procedures have been implemented regarding the rectification
of departmental errors in dates of births in the Population
Register, to assist former reference book holders when applying
for IDs. During 1986, with the introduction of the Identification
Act, 1986, identity numbers were pre-allocated to reference book
holders. As these persons' full and correct date of birth were
not on record, dates were estimated prior to 1994. These
applicants were normally elderly people not able to provide
documents supporting their applications for a different date of
birth. Applications were queried a number of times, whilst the
applicant was deprived of the right to apply for social pension
and other benefits. The new procedures allow for such applicants
to be interviewed by a senior official at a regional or district
office, and a prescribed agreement form may be completed by both
the applicant and the Department.
My Department is implementing the Electronic Document Management
System within civic services, which will implement effective,
real-time, online automated document management from capture to
business transaction, improving business process efficiency. The
system will make Home Affairs records and archiving information
immediately available for access to any authorised individual at
workstations in the entire system, both nationally and
internationally.
Phase 1 is being implemented, comprising the implementation of a
centralised core system with an associated workflow component to
cater for the management of births, marriages and deaths, and an
effective Management Information System within the Department's
Head Office buildings. In the same building there will be high
volume document capture modules and the implementation of a
centralised indexing to initiate the process of existing records
back capturing. Additional features are the development and
implementation of a query front-end with the flexibility to be
decentralised, effective volatile and non-volatile online storage
to cater for stricter legal process, a Disaster Recovery facility
to ensure full redundancy and 24 hour availability, integration
with the National Population Register; and conversion and
integration of the existing microfilm records to online
documentation format. The commissioning date for Phase 1 is 1
September 2002. A tender for Phase 2, comprising the roll-out of
the system to regional offices and the conversion of existing
paper records will be published during August 2002.
The Home Affairs National Identification System (HANIS)
celebrated a significant milestone in the Basic System
Commissioning on 18 February 2002. The original HANIS Project
Plan identified four phases, namely Requirement Definition,
System Design, System Build and Basic System Commissioning. These
phases were successfully completed by 18 February 2002. The total
expenditure until March 2002 amounted to R495,122,478. The
Project's Commercial Verification function will enable all
interested parties to query the HANIS database and perform
reliable identity verification. The function will have the
potential to generate income for National Treasury through user
charges. We are contemplating a Back Record Conversion to capture
all the existing fingerprint data on the manual records onto the
HANIS database. The quality of fingerprints and photographs is
the cornerstone of this project. The Department, therefore, has
an intensive Quality Assurance Programme. Live Capture will
ensure quality data intake. The Electronic Document Management
System will capture all forms from all processing and ensure a
paperless environment. The system will cater for the archiving
functions of all the systems, including HANIS.
Pending the recommendations of the Haysom Commission of Enquiry,
the Identity Card component is still outstanding. The envisaged
smart ID card will provide a common platform for the integration
of government services centred on the verification of citizens.
The Department has worked with other government departments to
identify applications and integrate them onto the smart ID card.
The Department is liaising with the Department of Science and
Technology to ensure that the integration through the micro data
bank in the smart card is indeed preferable to the smart card
merely operating as a window enabling the direct connection
between the central data bank and the reader. The investment in
smart card technology must be in line with the best available
technology and with foreseeable developments. The introduction of
smart cards and related readers is one of our most massive
technological investments, both from a financial viewpoint and in
terms of technological distribution and contributions towards
raising our citizenry's technological floor. Therefore, I have
chosen not to rush into it until there is consensus that we are
achieving the best value for money and making the right decision.
The smart ID card project will be aligned with other government
initiatives such as e-government, the Gateway project and the
proposed Electronic Communications and Transactions Bill.
The amount of money paid by the HANIS Project in forex
adjustments is R62,5 million. This shortfall, due to the
devaluation of the rand, has placed stress on the HANIS budget.
The National Treasury has been informed of these forex payments
and the matter will be addressed in the Department's Monthly
Reporting on the State of Expenditure as well as in the
Adjustments Estimate.
Turning to our second line function responsibility, Migration
Services, it is known that the Immigration Bill has been assented
to. As I indicated during the debate on that Bill, the text had a
number of errors and problematic areas because it was drafted in
haste without any assistance from my Department or interaction
with officials with knowledge and expertise in the subject
matter. The NCOP process could not correct these mistakes, but
tried to amend the Bill further to eliminate its provisions
relating to the quota system for a work permit. For various
reasons, it could not get around to doing so. The Standing
Committee stated that I should bring amendments to the Bill to
correct its mistakes and deal with its unresolved policy issues.
However, no guidance was given on how these issues should be
dealt with or the Act amended. For this reason, I indicated in
the NCOP that I am committed to implementing the Immigration Act
as it was passed by the Legislature. I will bring to Cabinet only
those amendments which are necessary to correct aberrations such
as cross-references to sections which no longer exist or
unintended language created by the unjustified collapsing of
various sections into one.
The Immigration Act will need to be implemented by means of
extensive regulations, which we are drafting to ensure that we
can make the Immigration Act work at its best and as intended. I
am committed to making the Immigration Act work in spite of its
flaws. For instance, the Immigration Act does not outline the
quota system but merely prescribes that one should be developed.
A number of more or less obsolete quota systems are now in force
or were in force in the past in the world, and many more could be
creatively conceived to adjust to our specific needs and
policies. The quota system which we will develop through
regulations will try to fulfil the desire expressed by the
amendments tabled by the majority party in the NCOP and will
bring things to fruition, so that we can bring the new system of
migration control in operation without legislative amendments in
respect of the quota system. We will try to marry the quota
system with what was originally adopted by Cabinet, taking into
account the statements made by our Colleague, the Minister of
Trade and Industry.
We hope to be able to publish regulations within 30 days. We are
under time pressure. Once regulations define the elements of the
new system of migration control, new forms will need to be
designed, printed and supplied to all our offices, while training
our officials in their use. Therefore, I am not in the position
to indicate a clear commencement date for the new system of
migration control, but my Department hopes to bring it online
within the next 90 days.
The Immigration Act is an enormous improvement on the present
uncertainty and levels of discretion. It contains innovative
solutions which place South Africa ahead of many other countries
which are struggling with issues of migration without the
opportunity to develop a new system from scratch which is
responsive to the needs and challenges of the 21st century. The
Act brings immigration control into compliance with the highest
standards of human rights protection and administrative and
judicial review while placing South Africa on par with many other
countries in respect of many of its provisions, especially in
respect of investors' and intra-company transfer permits. We
trust that as implemented through regulations the Immigration Act
may become an excellent Act. Its real final effect will, however,
depend on the resources Parliament will make available for its
implementation, which will be required in much greater measure
than what was envisaged for the Bill as approved by Cabinet.
Financial resources will also have to be allocated for the
possible cost of legal challenges arising out of the new Act in
the initial stages of moving from the old Act to the new.
The Act finally makes Home Affairs responsible for all facility
management at ports of entry, so as to begin dealing with the
sorry state of facilities at most border posts, which are foreign
visitors' first impression of our country. Serious upgrading is
required not only of the actual entry and departure facilities,
but also in respect of the improvement and erection of staff
housing. Connectivity, not only in terms of computer systems, but
even basic matters such as electricity, telephone and fax
facilities are sorely lacking and will need to be addressed.
The Department has attempted in vain over the years to secure an
increased budget to respond to the mounting pressure on our staff
and infrastructure at these posts. The number of persons cleared
on entry and departure at our ports of entry has grown from 19.8
million per annum in 1994 to 28.3m per annum in 2001, an increase
of 42.9%, while the staff establishment at the majority of these
ports has not been amended since 1995 and no significant increase
in funding of accommodation requirements has been realised. In
1997, Cabinet approved an amount of R101 million for the
upgrading of these ports of entry in terms of the erstwhile
National Crime Prevention Strategy. However, divided between 53
ports, the improvements, although marked, could still not address
the needs satisfactorily.
Initiatives driven by other departments such as the Departments
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and Trade and Industry often
impact on my Department. For example, the creation of seven
Transfrontier Conservation Areas in conjunction with our
neighbouring countries is aimed at increasing tourism figures,
not only for the country, but for the region as a whole, and
involves the upgrading of the staff establishments and facilities
at existing ports of entry within the proposed boundaries of
these areas and the erection of new border posts. My Department
cannot cope with the increased pressure on its budget by means of
re-prioritising existing funds.
A further example is the creation of the Trans-Kalahari corridor,
which is aimed at easing the flow of commercial traffic through
Botswana to Namibia, which runs through the Skilpadshek border
post in the North West Province. This facility is inadequate for
the volume of traffic envisaged in terms of a trilateral
memorandum of understanding between the three countries, and the
border post has to increase its hours of service from the current
two-shift operation to a three-shift 24-hour operation.
Additional personnel expenditure and housing accommodation has to
be provided, which was not factored into the Department's 3-year
financial planning cycle.
During the 1999/2000 fiscal year, the SAPS has requested that my
Department takes over the immigration function at 4 of the 15
border posts where the SAPS currently perform functions on our
behalf, where traffic volumes have increased to the extent that
full time immigration officers are now required. To date the
Department has failed to do so due to budgetary constraints on
the appointment of additional staff and the erection of office
and housing accommodation.
The events of 11 September 2001 have increased the
responsibilities of my Department to ensure that persons seeking
entry into our country are properly screened from a security
viewpoint before being admitted. Poor facilities, where the
infrastructure is not conducive to the correct, swift and
separate channelling of incoming and outgoing traffic, create
loopholes enabling persons to enter the country without reporting
to an immigration officer for the necessary checks and controls.
The Department of Public Works, in conjunction with the various
role players at ports of entry, has developed a Repair and
Maintenance Project, which is a specialised approach for the
repair and maintenance of facilities under their control at land
border posts .The estimated cost to implement this project, based
on an investigation by a consultant appointed by the Department
of Public Works, is R94,6 million which is needed to bring the
infrastructure at our land border posts up to an acceptable level
to cope with the increased flow of travellers, to create a
favourable first impression for visitors and to ensure an
acceptable level of security.
Another of my Department's priorities in migration control for
the current financial year is the redesigning of the Movement
Control System to a real-time online system. The current system
is outdated and can no longer cope with the volume of data to be
processed, nor does it satisfy the needs of the user departments.
It requires a complete rewrite. The objectives of the Movement
Control System Project are to implement a centrally driven and
managed system, which will function on a real-time online basis
and which will permit immediate and simultaneous access to
movement data by all ports of entry. The system should also
ensure information integrity and validity pertaining to the
movements of foreigners and South African residents across our
borders. It should remove backlogs and current inconsistencies in
movement control and enable integration between all systems and
databases utilised by the Chief Directorate of Migration. The
system should also introduce electronic workflow in movement
control to ensure reduction in fraud and corruption
opportunities. This project is one of the Cluster priorities
identified by the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster,
and not merely a departmental priority.
A Request for Information was distributed to a number of vendors
to test the high-level concept viability and to gather detailed
information regarding the most appropriate manner in which to
embark on this project. The closing date for responses was 29 May
2002 and the responses received are currently being studied. The
budget allocated to this project for the current year is R45
million spread over three years.
The Refugees Act has marked its second year since it came into
effect on the 1 April 2000. Since then, the Department has made
great strides in rendering service to the refugee community. To
reach out to both the refugee and the South African communities,
the Department embarked on an imbizo-type campaign in the latter
half of 2001 that was known as the "Refugee Road Show",
aimed at raising awareness and interacting with the public, both
South African and refugee, on refugee rights. This campaign was
particularly relevant as it coincided with the World Conference
against Racism and Xenophobia.
The project to eradicate the backlog of asylum claims pending
since 1994 was a success as more than 21,000 applications were
finalised at first instance level. All asylum seekers who were
previously on section 41 permits were issued with section 22
permits in accordance with the Refugees Act of 1998. 1 May 2001
marked the first issuance of Refugee Identity Cards to all
recognised refugees, as promised, and this was marked by
ceremonies in various Refugee Reception Centres. History will
again be made this month with the first issuance of the United
Nations Conventional Travel Document by the Department.
The Independent Electoral Commission, which is funded through the
Home Affairs Budget Vote, is in mid-term of the national,
provincial and municipal election cycles. Ward by-elections take
place regularly, but the IEC will receive focused attention again
as we approach the elections of 2004. Towards the middle of 2001,
the IEC completed a process of assessing its permanent personnel
requirements and retrenched 43% of its staff. Much of the year
was spent on the establishment of systems in the areas of staff
development, financial controls and asset management.
The Commission advises me that, in parallel with these
administrative processes, a number of other significant
activities have taken place. All voting stations were visited and
assessed, establishing their correct geographic location and
determining problems in terms of voting district limitations. The
assessment and correction of problems encountered are receiving
attention during the current year. Efforts to make the voters'
roll more user friendly have received and will continue to
receive attention, and alternative methods of registering voters
are being considered to make it easier for voters to register or
change their details on the voters' roll, particularly in rural
areas where people live far away from municipal centres.
Another urgent project concerns the appointment and training of
municipal electoral officers. The restructuring of local
government after the municipal elections of 2000 has led to many
of the persons who fulfilled these functions during previous
elections no longer being available. Stability in this area of
election delivery is critical.
The success of an election is determined well in advance of the
event. The work presently done on voting stations, delimitation
of voting districts and improving the quality of and access to
the voters' roll is important. Equally important is the review of
the legal framework within which the next national and provincial
elections will take place. To this end the Electoral Task Team
was constituted on 9 May 2002 with its task to "draft the
new electoral legislation required by the Constitution",
under the chairmanship of Dr F van Zyl Slabbert.It includes
Advocate P Tlakula, Mr Norman du Plessis and Mr SS van der Merwe
of the IEC; Advocate R Malatji, Chief Director of Legal Services
of Home Affairs, Professor Glenda Fick of the School of Law,
Witwatersrand University; Professor Jurgen Elklit of the
University of Aarhus, Denmark; Adv. Fink Haysom; Dr Wilmot James
of the HSRC, Ms Dren Nupen of the Electoral Institute of SA and
Advocate Tefo Raditapole, special adviser to Premier Shilowa of
Gauteng. The political parties represented in Parliament have
each appointed a liaison person who will interact and hold
discussions with the Task Team, and initial meetings were held on
11 and 12 June 2002.
A research project will focus on the experience and response of
voters to the current electoral system and their involvement and
understanding of electoral politics. The results will be made
public at an International Conference, to be held as soon as
possible after the research has been completed, and to be
addressed by national and international experts on different
electoral systems highlighting their advantages and disadvantages
for South Africa.
It is premature to speculate whether the Task Team's work will
produce any fundamental shifts away from the current electoral
system. The Task Team will be consulting extensively and will be
reaching out to the relevant institutions of civil society in an
open and transparent manner.
Last year, I informed this House about the privatisation of the
Government Printing Works. Apart from some minor glitches in the
pursuance of the stated objectives, things are moving according
to schedule. My Department will soon embark on the next phase,
which will ultimately lead to the tabling of the Government
Printing Works Conversion Bill during the course of the year.
Though the Government Printing Works is part of my Department, it
is not sub-vented from voted funds and instead runs a Trading
Account, operating on a cost recoverable basis, which presupposes
that it should generate enough income to ensure continuity.
However, its present scope of operation is restricted to State
Departments which limits its sources of income. Its evolution
into a State enterprise bereft of limitations that go with its
present operational milieu will enable it to expand its
operations, clientele, growth and development to compete in the
market dynamics.
I must also inform this House that aspects of my Department are
fraught with irregularities due to the unfortunate breakdowns in
my relations with my Director-General in the past two years. As
he is now preparing himself to leave, more actions taken in
violation of prescripts are emerging. For instance, just this
morning I have been advised that he established 153 positions and
filled many of them without my knowledge or approval, which makes
the entire operation and related incurred expenditure
unauthorised. It will take time to reconstruct proper
administration, discipline and regular practices within my
Department after his final departure, but I am committed to bring
about this necessary administrative renaissance.
I consider it extremely unfortunate that while I related
pleasantly with the Director General at a personal level, our
working relationship was so fraught with so many disputes and
acrimony.
I have assigned matters related to the Film and Publication Board
and the Film and Publication Review Board to my Deputy Minister,
Mrs Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and I am sure she herself will give
details in this regard.
In conclusion, therefore, I wish to extend my appreciation to the
various statutory bodies resorting under this Budget Vote for
their valuable work over the past year. Special thanks are
extended to the members of the Immigrants Selection Board and the
various Committees of the Board, whose term of office expires at
the end of this month. The new Immigration Act no longer makes
provision for this Board and the Board and Committees will cease
to exist. I also wish, on this occasion, to convey my sincerest
thanks to my Deputy Director-General and the staff of the
Department for their accomplishments despite a tremendous
shortage of human and other resources. I thank all members of my
Department who have had to endure working under very trying
circumstances in an unfortunate working environment.
In closing, I wish to thank the parliamentary committees of both
Houses of Parliament for their co-operation and the work they
have done with regard to the affairs of my Department. I trust
that we can enter into a fruitful debate.
I thank you.