Question and Answer
Question:
Minister on the offices opening for voter registration weekend, is it only the offices that will be opened or will you be deploying mobile units as well?
Answer (Minister Naledi Pandor):
On the office opening I should have added that mobile offices will be out. We have around a hundred and twelve of them which are functioning properly with the necessary connections through 3G and wireless. So, they will be supporting our offices but it is important that both the offices and mobile trucks are available. We are going to try to ensure that the mobile trucks are as close as possible to residential areas but the offices, of course, are as close as possible where they are located.
Question:
Minister what is the status of investigations into alleged permit irregularities by ANN7?
Answer:
I did report at our last media briefing that all those who were in the country legally remain here on the basis of the visa that they required, those who arrived on a visitor’s visa and were carrying out what they called project work in that particular station were asked to return and apply for an appropriate visa should they wish to return to South Africa.
Follow up question:
Do you have the numbers for us perhaps?
Answer:
I don’t have them in front of me but Ronnie (Mamoepa) can give you the old statement and you will get the details from there. But it was not a large number.
Question:
Is there a need for a Border Management Agency?
Answer: (Director-General : Mkuseli Apleni ):
As Minister indicated on the statement that there are various departments operating in a border post environment as well as the border line. But departments were on a co-ordination basis which means there was a willing basis but no willing framework. The importance of the BMA is integration so that the control and command is under one institution. If things go wrong in a border environment there is one institution that must take responsibility under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Question:
I just clarity on the invalidation of IDs, are there any plans to try and get law enforcement agencies to go and get these people who are not availing themselves to you?
Answer (Minister Naledi Pandor):
We have taken many steps, we have even visited the homes of some of these individuals, tried to trace their addresses and for some we have found actually that the address provided is a false one. We have done a lot of work over several years.
We have added our stakeholder forums, when ward committees are held the councilors are asked to indicate that we are looking for individuals that are holding duplicate IDs. The numbers are published on the walls of community centres such as Thusong Service Centres.
We have done as much as we can and the only thing now is to invalidate because if you invalidate, if you have accounts you are not going to be able to access them, you are going to have difficulties with the banks.
Fortunately, we have been liaising very closely with SABRIC throughout this process and they agree with us that it will help them in their attempts to curb fraud for us to deal with this matter expeditiously. It is not something that Home Affairs has just done in an instant, it has taken several years to get to this point where we now feel that we must act and invalidate.
Essentially, when people come forward, if they are entitled to hold an ID, we will help them apply for one and issue it to them but if they are not entitled, clearly they must not have an ID.
Question:
Are these office hours normal operating hours or extended?
Answer:
Yes (they are extended) and the DG and the DDGs will be in different provinces. I will be in the Free State and DG will be in the Eastern Cape, a DDG responsible for Gauteng will be in Gauteng and so on, so that all of us are ensuring that the mobile trucks and the offices are operational.
