Honourable Chairperson
Deputy Minister Malusi Gigaba
The Chairperson of the Select Committee of Social Services
Honourable Members of the NCOP
Director General and senior management of the Department
Distinguished Guests
Honourable Members, later this month on 18 July, the people of our country and indeed the world will be celebrating the birthday of the icon and hero of our people-Nelson Mandela. Franz Fanon reminds us “that every generation must out of relative obscurity find its mission, fulfil it or betray it”. Nelson Mandela’s generation laid a firm foundation for building our democracy with a common destiny and identity.
Home Affairs will indeed be joining the people of our country in what ever we do to mark the launch of Nelson Mandela Day.
Chairperson and Honourable Members
May I join the people of our country and the world in congratulating the Brazilian National Team for its deserved win of the tournament and all the participants.
The success of the Confederations Cup communicates a clear message that our country and its people and indeed the people of Africa stand ready to deliver a world-class 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Honourable Chairperson
The Constitution of our country has entrusted our Department with a dual mandate. In this regard, we are the custodian of the identity of all South African citizens critical of which is the issuance of Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates; Identity Documents and passports; Citizenship and Permanent Residence Certificates.
The full spectrum of identity management goes beyond mere issuance of secure documents; it encompasses 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 of births, marriages and deaths 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 access their constitutional rights. We have to ensure an accurate and comprehensive National Population Register as a matter of national priority.
For this to be achieved, must be a national effort that involves every government department, all institutions and all South Africans including your good selves, Honourable Members.
Chairperson and honourable members,
The first step is to tighten up the registration of births and to include the mother’s name and identity document (ID) number. This is crucial because the birth certificate is the basic document that enables people to be in the population register and apply for IDs and passports. To this end we shall run a campaign to register all children from 0 to 15 years old by the end of 2011.
After 2011 we shall ensure that babies are registered before their first birthday and do away with late registration of birth which is the main entry point for those who want to access our documents fraudulently.
Working in partnership with the Department of Education, we shall over the next two years, run a campaign to proactively ensure that all youth from 16 years old obtain an ID.
We also need to delink the capturing of fingerprints from the ID application process to ensure the security of our enabling documents. This will also facilitate the faster processing of ID applications.
In terms of Batho Pele principles, our public servants at the front office desks must be efficient, and ready to assist the public and treat them with kindness and dignity. The practice of sending people from pillar to post must end.
They should be provided with accurate information on what is required right at the outset. The public needs to be able to identify the officials they are dealing with through the use of name tags. We shall also work with the Department of Public Works to provide infrastructure and create a conducive environment for people to work in.
I hope all of us in the Department can work together to create a New Home Affairs. Together we will strive to develop a new paradigm in the Department with a Cadre characterised by new values, attitudes and behaviour.
Honourable Members
Corruption eats into the moral fibre of our society, whilst denying the poorest of the poor access to critical rights and resources. We have to act, and act decisively, to rid our department of this scourge. Fighting corruption will require the mobilisation of our nation.
For us to succeed, we require a very strong hard working and honest team. There are many vacant posts that should be filled. The current economic constraints have placed limitations on our ability to fill all of them. With the funds allocated for the next three years there will be some progress.
In the light of these constraints, internal skills development becomes even more important. I understand that in the latter half of 2008 efforts were made throughout the department to drive new management approaches amongst senior and middle managers. The training of some specialists, such as immigration officers, has also improved.
But a lot of work remains to be done in this area. In the long term a learning centre will be created, in recognition of the critical need to develop a cadre of officials with the right values and competencies. In the short term we shall work closely with Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA) in training our managers at various levels.
We have begun experiencing some measure of improvements in the utilisation of the department’s 117 mobile units, with respect to providing a more efficient and regular service – especially in rural areas. Expanding the reach of Home Affairs to marginalised communities, such as farm workers, is one of our key objectives in this three year expenditure cycle. Mobile Units will play an important part in achieving this goal, which will require the active support of provincial government, local government structures as well as relevant civil society organisations.
The establishment of the Client Service Centre means that people no longer have to go to a Home Affairs office just to check on the status of their application. One benefit is that fewer people have to stand in the queues at our offices. The other benefit is particularly for those who have to travel long distances to reach an office, those for whom the travel costs are prohibitive as well as those who cannot leave work during the day to visit Home Affairs. May we remind honourable members that our toll-free number is 0800 60 11 90.
In addition to this we shall have a very small unit that can deal with the most difficult challenges and queries from the public. People should not go to Home Affairs Offices more than twice without getting satisfactory assistance. As soon as this unit is in place, we shall announce it before the end of this year.
As the custodian of the identity of South Africans, the department will develop its capacity to securely store and retrieve information on citizens and other persons permitted to live in South Africa. To achieve this, a phased upgrade of our Electronic Document Management System will be carried out.
Honourable Chairperson and honourable members,
The second area of our mandate deals with effective, secure and humane management of migration. In this regard, we are experiencing significant challenges managing the large number of such asylum seekers seeking service at our Refugee Reception Centres. We are trying as much as possible to improve services in these refugee centres to be more humane. In this regard, we will have to expand the number of refugee centres.
We reiterate the need to distinguish between economic migrants and asylum seekers as this will help reduce pressure on refugee reception centres as well as application processes. We are also going to streamline the refugee appeals process and capacitate the independent review body.
The large number of economic migrants applying for asylum, in an attempt to regularise their stay in the country, points to the need for a review of the Immigration policy and legislation.
We are also seeking to transform the permitting environment to ensure a more professional delivery of visas and permits, including the streamlining of processes and regulations where necessary.
Honourable Members
We will continue to enhance the movement control, and permitting systems that will enable the department to meet its obligations with respect to South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Strategic Plan for 2009/2010 has among others identified the following key strategic priorities:
* Putting in place strong management and governance measures to lead transformation and take control of the operating environment
* Empowering the honest majority of officials with the right skills and values to build effective systems and fight corruption.
* Ensuring that out-of-date systems that have been contaminated by years of data corruption are modernised, cleaned and properly maintained.
In addition to reviewing the late birth registration process, we will also:
* Improve the security of birth, marriage and death certificates;
* Gradually introduce new security features in identity documents, including digitised photographs;
* Roll out live-capture stations to the department’s 13 busiest offices. Live capture of an applicant’s biometric features makes the data tamper-proof, preventing fraudulent changes after the capturing process.
Honourable Members
There have been a number of adverse audit findings over the years. This has been a matter of concern to both Parliament and the public at large. We cannot over emphasise the need to deal with public finances in a prudent and diligent manner.
While, as Amilcar Cabral noted we should “tell no lies, claim no easy victories” we commit ourselves to redressing these endemic problems whilst working towards an improved audit finding by strengthening financial management and controls at all levels.
The transformation of Home Affairs is a huge responsibility which was begun by Minister Mapisa-Nqakula and for whose efforts we are grateful. We also wish her well at the Department of Correctional Services.
In conclusion turning around Home Affairs is not a sprint but a marathon; “ Those who complete the marathon course will do so only because they do not, as fatigue sets in, convince themselves that the road ahead is still too long, the incline too steep, the loneliness impossible to bear and the prize itself of doubtful value.
“We too”, as Home Affairs jointly with the people of our country “must together run our own comrades marathon, as comrades who are ready to take to the road together, refusing to be discouraged by the recognition that the road is very long, the incline very steep and that, at times what we see as the end is but a mirage”. (Former President Thabo Mbeki)
I thank you
Issued by: Department of Home Affairs
1 July 2009
