Madam Speaker
I appreciate this opportunity to once again introduce the debate on the Home Affairs Budget Appropriation and in the process to report on the functions of the Department, the achievements in the past year and the plans for 1998.
My Department was selected as one of three Government agencies to pilot the White Paper on Transformation and Public Service Delivery. In this regard, we developed a Service Delivery Improvement Plan, founded on the principles contained in the White Paper, to eliminate corruption and to allow the public full and accurate information about the services rendered. To this end a toll-free Complaints Line, where complaints regarding quality of service or incidents of corruption can be reported, became operational on 1 April 1998.
This Plan was publicity announced as "Statement of Standards" at a media conference on 31 March 1998, also attended by my colleague, the honourable Minister of Public Service and Administration, Dr Zola Skweyiya.
Although the Service Delivery Improvement Plan will only become fully operative on 1 July 1998, many dimensions thereof have already been implemented. The Plan is not a static product and will from time to time be revised and updated in order to achieve even higher standards of service.
Our commitment to service excellence will serve as confidence builder to the public about the manner in which they are to be treated.
To sensitive and equip staff to render the best possible service, a dedicated Directorate: Human Resource Development was established on 1 April 1998. Working closely with the South African Management Institute (SAMDI) the requirements of the White Paper on Public Service Training and Education are being implemented. As a start, during 1997, a total number of 603 managers attended workshops on the Management of Diversity.
As far as the two main functional areas of the Department of Home Affairs, namely Civic Services and Migration, are concerned, I wish to elaborate on some of the salient issues as follows:
Honourable members will recall that in my introductory speech to last year's Home Affairs budget debate I informed members of the implementation of the Home Affairs National Identification System (HANIS), which will include an Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and an identity card to replace the present identity book. At that stage it was envisaged that this system would be implemented early in 1998. However, to ensure absolute fairness in the awarding of this tender a comprehensive tender evaluation procedure was developed, which ensured that evaluation takes place in various phases on an elimination basis. Thirteen responces to our tender were submitted to the State Tender Board, but only seven actual tenders remained after Phase 1A of the evaluation was completed. During subsequent evaluations phases, several tenderers were gradually eliminated. As with all tender evaluations, some of those eliminated expressed unhappiness about the fact that they were eliminated from the short-list. This was anticipated since all tenderers believe their solutions to be the best, except that only one supplier can be awarded the tender. This matter was raised with me by none other than the Chairman of the Portfolio Committee, Mr Desmond Lockey, MP, and there was quite a discussion on this in which both I and the Honourable Deputy Minister, Dr L N Sisulu. participated.
I was later also approaced by two Ambassadors who were unhappy that a certain company had not been short-listed. The meeting I had with them was also attended by the Deputy Director-General, Mr Ivan Lambinon. I made it clear that my experience in government was such that once the tender was in the hands of the Tender Board it was then out of my hands. I added that once that happens the matter fell under the Department of State Expenditure. I however gave instructions to the Deputy Director-General, in the absence of the Director-General, to approach the Auditor-General for an audit of the Tender. I was also approached by one academic, again on behalf of another company that was not short-listed. I mentioned al these matters to Cabinet. One result of this was that Cabinet suggested that I convene a meeting of Ministers to look further at this matter. I convened this meeting on the 28th of April 1998. We concluded that a meeting of Directors-General of our particular Departments should meet as soon as possible to consider the compatibility with developments in smart card technology and to report back to us. As far as the evaluation procedure is concerned, we could not find any deviation from the State Tender Board's regulations and therefore decided that the current evaluation process should continue unabated.
The evaluation team is currently busy with the evaluation of Phase 3, which includes various site visits and benchmark tests of the systems being proposed. This phase is also used to intimately verify the claims made in the responses. It is expected that the tender evaluation will be completed in the first half of this year and the tender awarded shortly thereafter, followed by implementation in 1999.
The issuing of the existing identity document will be continued with for the foreseeable future and has in fact been increased in the past two months from a production of approximately 8 000 per day to 12 000 per day, due to the Department's Identity Document Campaign.
My Department has a responsibility to ensure that all those eligible to vote in the 1999 general election are in possession of valid identity documents, as required by the Electoral Commission, for purposes of enabling them to register as voters. In view of this, we are even doubling our efforts to ensure that identity documents are issued timeously. The Identity Document Campaign consists of a publicity campaign to make prospective voters aware of this requirement, as well as the improvement of services in the Department's network of offices. Mobile units are being used to augment services in areas where there are noa offices of the Department.
Other arrangements made at the Department's regional directorates include:
the appointment of temporary staff;
working overtime and adapting office hours where necessary;
community outreach programmes through visits to community
organisations, schools, traditional leaders, local authorities
and farms through Farmers' Associations and other government and
non-governmental organisations; and
ensuring that additional supplies such as application forms,
fingerprint pads, etc., are available.
The overall message being conveyed through this campaign is that
of encouragement to the citizens to apply for identity documents.
To enhance the campaign, the catch phrase: "Get your ID to
cast your vote" is being used.
As far as infrastructure is concerned, preparations have been made at the Directorate: Identity Documents to cope with the increased demand for identity documents. Additional supplies of all material involved in the preparation of identity documents have been ordered. Additional office space in the building occupied by this Directorate is being obtained to overcome congestion and provision has been made to appoint temporary staff if required.
I would like to use this opportunity to call on members of this House to support this campaign by informing their electorate of the importance of timeous application for identity documents.
Various legislation in regard to Civic Services functions were passed in the past year. These amendments were mainly at providing more equitable provisions where necessary, recognising the needs of the South African community, as well as providing constitutional compatibility.
In terms of the South African Citizenship Amendment Act, 1997:
the circumstances under which resumption of South African
citizenship was possible were extended;
the automatic acquisition of South African citizenship by former
TBVC citizens was also extended to former TBVC citizens who
acquired such citizenship by registration;
a more equitable provision in regard to exemption of the loss of
South African citizenship in terms of section 15(1) (a) of the
1949 Act was introduced and the Minister was vested with the
power to grant early naturalisation in exceptional circum
stances, provided that these are reported to Parliament on an
annual basis.
In the South African Passports and Travel Documents Amendment Act, 1997, the definition of "minor" was amended to define a minor as a person under 18 years, as opposed to the previous 21 years. This was also done to facilitate the issuing of passports to these persons without acquiring the consent of both parents. It is therefore no longer necessary for a parent to approach a High Court for consent if the other parent's cannot be obtained. Other controls, which are free of charge, were introduced to safeguard irregularities.
The Births and Deaths Registration Amendment Act, 1997, gives wider power to the Director-General to authorise rectification of information contained in records. This was aimed at providing a better and free service to the poorer clients of the Department, who could not afford to approach a High Court to authorise such rectifications.
This amendment also allows married and divorced women the right to assume double-barrel surnames on the same basis as maiden surnames, or a prior surname. In other words, not having to apply for formal change of surname.
Moving to the functional area of Migration, the aim is to attract suitable immigrants in skills currently not available in South Africa. In this regard, applications are, in some instances, encouraged by industrialists and other entrepreneurs who wish to relocate their existing concerns or establish new concerns in South Africa.
Applications by financially independent persons are also encouraged, provided that the South African economy generally by the granting of immigration permits to such persons and provided that the investments are transferred to South Africa on a permanent basis.
Resulting from the introduction of a variety of migration fees with effect from 1 July 1996, an amount of R24 609 512 was received in respect of immigration activities during 1997. The fee of R5 580 ($1 550) in respect of an application for an immigration permit per individual or per family has since July 1996 first been increased to R7 130 and then to R7 750, due to the devaluation of the Rand.
The dollar value remained fixed . Sponsored persons and foreign dependent children of persons married to South African citizens or permanent residents are excluded from paying the fee.
The newly appointed members of the regional committees of the Immigrants Selection Board, as well as the central committee, seated in Pretoria, commended with their activities during February 1997. A policy of full decentralisation of all immigration applications was implemented as from October 1997 to enable the regional committees to consider applications of prospective immigrants in the various regions. These committees are totally autonomous and have authority to review applications which were rejected or may refer such appeals to the central committee in Pretoria.
A total number of 4 532 people immigrated to South Africa during 1997 in comparison to 5 407 during 1996.
I t is a matter of concern that more aliens who do not qualify for immigration permits in their own right now apply for such permits in the category of spouse, after their marriage to to South African citizens or permanent residents. This matter is being extensively investigated to find ways and means of combating the abuse.
The inflow of the number of aliens, both legal and illegal, increased substantially since 1994. In January 1997, the Cabinet instructed the NCPS Ministers' Forum to draw up a workable strategy to address shortcomings in border control. A collective approach to border controlwas adopted as a strategy to address this problem. Consequently the Department of Home Affairs and the other two key role players involved in border control, South African Revenue Service and the South African Police Service, established a National Interdepartmental Structure (NIDS) on Border Control in April 1997.
Amongst some of the projects NIDS(National Inter-Departmental Structure) has initiated are improvement of ports of entry infrastructure; joint management and co-ordination of border control training; study tours overseas; increased enforcement of border control measures and improved relations and co-operation with the private sector pertaining to border control. As mentioned earlier, the Department of Home Affairs is also piloting the Government's Service Delivery Improvement Plan and this necessitates better utilisation of the available resources in dealing with the phenomenon of illegal aliens.
The matter of illegal aliens remains a high priority on the agenda of the Department. In 1996 the HSRC conducted a study on behalf of the Department which gave the estimated figure of between 2,5 and 4,1 million illegal immigrants in the country. The matter remains of concern and co-operation of all institutions and the public is necessary to manage this situation, which is of national importance.
To address this problem the Department introduced stricter measures against persons who harbour and employ illegal aliens. A total of 110 450 employers were investigated during 1997. Of these 121 employers were apprehended and paid admission of guilt fines while 74 employers were prosecuted and sentenced to fines ranging between R600 and R1 000 for employing illegal aliens. A case was recorded in Cape Town where an employer was fined an amount of R120 000 or 20 years (half of which was suspended for 5 years) imprisonment for aiding, abetting and harbouring 40 illegal Mozambicans.
During 1997, 355 767 documents were scrutinised and 243 689 illegal aliens were traced. The Department, in conjunction with the SAPS, repatriated a total 176 351 illegal aliens from the RSA during the 1997 period whereas 851 persons who were convicted of crimes were deported.
The training skills of immigration officers will be developed further by a training programme which is being presented by the Immigration Service of the United State of America between April and May 1998. A further training programme for immigration officers is being planned in conjunction with the Human Rights Commission. We are committed to make our immigration officers to be amongst the best in the world, despite resource constraints.
With the increase of asylum applications, which now stands at approximately 1 500 per month in comparison with approximately 900 per month in the previous year, the administrative component of the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs has been greatly strengthened with the appointment of additional staff. This component now consists of 38 members as opposed to 8 members in the past. The newly appointed staff have already received the necessary training by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Refugee Affairs Appeal Board has also been increased from one member to two and it is envisaged that a third member will be appointed in the near future.
This increase in staff components, will enable applications to be processed within a shorter period than in the past, striving for the 3 month period indicated by me earlier this year. This will be advantageous for the genuine refugees, but the shorter processing period will also assist in removing abusers of the system within a short period of them having entered the country. The number of abusive claims is still high. Tighter and faster determination procedures are being considered to deal with this concern.
During 1996 the Department introduced fees for migration services in order to comply with existing Government policy relating to compensation for services rendered.. These fees are revised annually. During 1997 the Department received 36 547 applications for work/workseeker's permits, 30 978 applications for study permits and 20 633 applications for the extension of visitor's, business and medical permits.
Since one of the main objectives of our Government is to secure employment for all South African citizens and permanent residents, the Department has adopted a more stringent policy when considering applications for work permits. It is consequently of vital importance that prospective employers endeavour to recruit locall inhabitants whenever possible. Should a SA citizen or permanent resident not be available, the local business community should submit themselves to the recruiting of exceptionally well qualified foreigners who are prepared to train local inhabitants to replace them in the shortest time feasible.
In order to monitor the situation, the Department will in future request prospective employers to submit copies of official employment contracts offered to foreigners, which will have to clearly indicate the conditions of employment as well as the period for which the service of a foreigner will be required.
The Department of Home Affairs, on the other hand, wishes to promote foreign investment and has more lenient policy relative to enterpreneurs who wish to establish business in South Africa.
The existing migration policy is continuously being researched with a view to refining it in the context of South Africa's unique situation.
In this regard a Task Team was appointed by me to compile a Green Paper on International Migration. Subsequently comment was called for and a considerable number of persons and institutions responded. From the comment received it is clear that the Green Paper could not be accepted as is.
Toward establishing White Paper on International Migration and Refugees, the comment received require consideration along the Green Paper already available. Task Teams for drafting White Papers on International Migration and Refugees have been constituted and appointments to these Task Teams have been completed. The fruits of their efforts will eventually lead to legislation pertaining specifically to refugees as well as new migration legislation.
In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I wish to sincerely thank the management and staff of the Department of Home Affairs for their dedicated service to the citizens and inhabitants of our country. I also thank my colleague Deputy Minister L N Sisulu for being such a wonderful asset to me and the Ministry. One only hears about those staff members who render bad service or become involved in corruption, whilst the majority who render excellent service, is never acknowledged. It is to this majority of loyal Home Affairs officials that wish to pay tribute.
I thank you.