Ladies and gentlemen of the media, in our weekly briefing today, we will be looking at the various issues including the Department’s support to the COP17 Conference, Minister Dlamini Zuma’s interaction with the SANDF recruits in Kimberley, the Public Service Innovation Award for 2011 received from the Centre for Public Service Innnovation, the relocation of the Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office, the relocation of the Department’s Head Office to the Hallmark Building in the City Centre and the opening of a new office in Msinga, Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Departmental support to the COP17 Climate Change Conference
The South African government will be hosting COP17 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal from 28 November to 9 December 2011. To this end and with a view to ensuring government hosts a successful conference and that we welcome and expedite the arrival of all Heads of State and Government, COP delegates and other participants to the Conference, the Department of Home Affairs will be implementing an operational plan to this effect from Sunday 20 November 2011.
Working with other roleplayers within the Justice and Crime Prevention Cluster (JCPS), we have helped to pre-screen 11 814 persons on the United Nations database of accredited persons.
We will also be providing visa exemptions to all accredited United Nations delegates whose entry into South Africa will be facilitated through dedicated counters at the OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka International Airports. To further expedite their arrival into the Republic, details of accredited delegates have been loaded onto the Department’s Advanced Passenger Processing System (APP).
Heads of State who are expected to attend the COP17 will be provided with immigration services at the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Pretoria.
In addition and to increase capacity in Kwa-Zulu Natal to ensure an effective and efficient immigration response, we will also be deploying a total of 54 immigration officers from around the country to King Shaka International Airport and the harbour in Durban. We will also have an additional 42 SAPS members who have been seconded to the Department and have undergone training as immigration officers who will be on standby at King Shaka International Airport. We have therefore deployed a total of 96 dedicated immigration officers to Kwa-Zulu Natal for the duration of the conference.
Our regular staff component will provide immigration services to delegates who will arrive at the OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports before travelling to Durban for the conference.
Minister Dlamini Zuma to address SANDF Recruits to the Department of Home Affairs
You will recall that in October this year Minister Dlamini Zuma announced the intention of the Department to re-orientate itself as a security department. In this regard and amongst others, we had introduced for the first time, a South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) recognised training programme. All existing and new officials will have the opportunity to be reskilled and retrained through this qualification.
We also announced a pilot programme through which 350 SANDF officials would be transferred to the Department of Home Affairs. These officers will, upon completion of immigration training be deployed as immigration officers to OR Tambo International Airport while the existing immigration officers will have an opportunity to undergo the SAQA training.
The 350 officers began their training on 17 October 2011 in Kimberley and will conclude their training on 15 December 2011 with an official passing out parade.
Minister Dlamini Zuma who has been receiving regular reports on the training programme, will on Monday 21 November 2011 visit the officers currently being trained with a view to assessing how the programme is proceeding.
The Public Service Innovation Award
We are pleased to announce that that the Department was earlier this month conferred with the annual Public Service Innovation Award for 2011 from the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) under the auspices of the Department of Public Service and Administration for outstanding performance in the delivery of services to citizens.
The Department was also rated by the CPSI amongst the Top Ten of the Humanities and Law section of the Magnet Communications Survey 2010/11 in the Employer of Choice category.
The CPSI awards are aimed at promoting and encouraging best practice in public sector innovation and service delivery as well as celebrating the successes of individual public servants, teams and departments in the quest for a more efficient and effective government machinery.
We therefore believe that these Awards attest to the solid framework the Department has been able to implement to ensure that indeed, we are able to deliver quality services to all our people with a view to fulfilling government’s electoral mandate to create better lives for all.
Indeed, these Awards also come amidst the Department being awarded its first unqualified audit opinion in 16 years from the Auditor-General.
Relocation of the Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office
We also announced earlier this month that, in compliance with a court judgment brought by local businesses in the vicinity of the Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office against the Department, we would be temporarily suspending operations in the province with regard to the processing of applications from asylum seekers.
In this regard, arrangements have been made for the temporary housing of files of those already granted refugee status in an annex to the local Regional Office. Staff from the Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office, who are also being temporarily housed in the annex, are currently finalising the adjudication of existing applications from asylum seekers.
Where applicants are based outside of the Eastern Cape, files may be transferred to alternative centres.
Relocation of the Home Affairs Head Office to the Hallmark Building in the City Centre
We announced earlier this month that in line with government’s commitment to make services accessible to the people, the Department of Home Affairs will be relocating its Head Office operations to the Hallmark Building in the Pretoria City Centre. This also comes within the context of government’s commitment to express confidence in the City Centre while encouraging investment and economic opportunities.
In this regard, the relocation of our operations began this past weekend, Saturday 12 November 2011, with the movement of all IT staff and equipment. We are happy to report that the movement of Branch IT to the Hallmark Building was successful with no reported interruption in services.
We will continue the relocation according to our movement plan, in terms of which, we will in the coming week be moving the Counter-Corruption and Immigration Services Branches of the Department. This will be followed by the Internal Audit, Communications, Human Resources, Learning Academy and Finance Branches as well as the Office of the Director-General respectively. In terms of our plan, it is envisaged that the movement to Hallmark Building will be concluded on the 19 December 2011.
We reiterate that we do not envisage any interruption of services during our relocation because local offices will continue to operate as normal.
Opening of new office in Msinga, Kwa-Zulu Natal
With a view to giving further expression to ensuring services are accessible to all citizens and in line with our commitment to increasing our rural footprint, Minister of Home Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will together with other provincial roleplayers, on 1 December 2011 open an office in Msinga, Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal.
With the opening of the Msinga office we will have a total of 293 offices in rural areas with 114 offices in urban areas.
Speaking notes for weekly media briefing by Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni, Arcadia House, 909 Arcadia Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, Thursday 17 November 2011
