May I join in welcoming our colleagues from the media, for taking time out of your schedules, for the entire year to participate in our weekly media briefing.
Indeed without your support, we would not have been able to communicate our messages to both members of the public as well as our staff internally. As you enter the festive season, we should you the best during Christmas and New Year festivities.
Regarding our briefing today, we wish to focus our attention on the following issues, the ongoing preparations for the UN Conference on Climate Change scheduled from 29 November to 9 December 2011 in Durban, the opening of the Umkhupula One-Stop Development Centre, Cabinet’s announcement of the review of immigration processes and the visit by the Deputy Home Affairs Minister to the International Organisation on Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Home Affairs stands ready to facilitate entry of delegates to COP17 United Nations (UN) Conference
As part of the inter-ministerial committee responsible for the organisation and logistics of the UN Conference on Climate Change, scheduled for 28 November - 9 December 2011 in Durban, the Department of Home Affairs stands ready to facilitate the entry into South Africa of thousands of delegates to the Conference.
These delegates include several Heads of State and Government, Ministers, UN officials, Non - Governmental Organisation (NGO’s), members of civil society and a number of media representatives from both electronic and print media.
The department will be facilitating their movement into South Africa en route to Durban mainly through our ports of entry specifically OR Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town International Airports. We however also stand ready to facilitate movement of persons wishing to attend COP17 through any other land and sea ports of entry across the country.
In this regard, Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma joins other members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee including President Jacob Zuma in welcoming all delegates on behalf of our country and its people to this important UN Conference on Climate Change, while wishing them well in their deliberations to ensure a better tomorrow, today.
In pursuance of this objective, Minister Dlamini Zuma has approved the deployment of extra immigration officials to all our ports of entry to ensure the movement of these COP17 delegates is as smooth as possible, displaying our Ubuntu and readiness to receive peoples of the world in our shores.
We are confident that the measures we have put in place in line with the directives of Minister Dlamini Zuma, will indeed contribute to the successful hosting by the government and people of South Africa of all delegates to the UN Conference on Climate Change.
We have accordingly begun processing delegates to the Conference arriving through a number of our ports of entry. So far a total of 271 delegates constituting part of the 11 810 approved delegates arrived in South Africa since Monday 21 November 2011. We will on a daily basis, be issuing an update of arrivals for the Conference to the media.
The systems we have in place, such as the Movement Control System and the Advanced Passenger Processing system, a legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup will indeed stand the country in good stead to facilitate the smooth entry and departure of all delegates.
Similarly, these systems will also enable the government and the country to bar any undesirable elements that appear on our database of prohibited persons that may seek to exploit the hosting of the UN Conference on Climate Change to enter the country for nefarious activities.
We also stand ready to co-operate with other law enforcement agencies with whom we work in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) to deal with any persons who may seek to undermine the security and immigration laws of the country.
The department has in consultation with relevant UN agencies agreed to the issuance of special visa to be issued on arrival at our ports of entry and upon presentation of the invitation from the UN, to all accredited delegates, who under normal circumstances would require visas to enter South Africa.
The branding of special counters, directional signage and banners with welcoming messages from the President and Ministers of Home and Environmental Affairs as well as International Relations and Co-operation at all our international airports of entry is going ahead according to plan.
Minister Dlamini Zuma to participate in opening Umkhupula One Stop Development Centre
Home Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will on Wednesday 30 November 2011, together with representatives of the Kwa-Zulu Natal legislature, participate in the opening of the Umkhupula One-Stop Development Centre in Msinga, Kwa-Zulu Natal.
The One Stop Development Centre is an expression of government’s commitment to bring services to the people in line with a co-operative governance model. In this regard, the Umkhupula One-Stop Development Centre will be home to, amongst others, the Departments of Social Development and Home Affairs.
It is the intention of government, as part of its social contract with the electorate, to ensure citizens have access to services in their areas.
Accordingly, as part of government’s electoral mandate to improve conditions in the rural areas, the Department of Home Affairs is committed to increasing its rural footprint. With the establishment of the Umkhupula One-Stop Development Centre, the Department will have a total of 293 offices in rural areas with 114 offices in urban areas.
Home Affairs to work with JCPS Cluster to review Immigration Management in South Africa
The Department of Home Affairs has noted the statement issued by the Cabinet spokesman Jimmy Manyi regarding the management of immigration in South Africa.
This is a project managed through the JCPS of government.
In this regard, Minister of Home Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is, amongst others, a member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) established by Cabinet to review the management of immigration in South Africa.
The Cabinet spokesperson has indeed announced that government will be “reviewing the minimum rights of immigrants, including the right to work and study, currently granted under section 22 of the Refugees Act, 1998.”
This is therefore currently work in progress.
A report will be presented to Cabinet as soon as the review has been completed.
Deputy Minister to lead South African delegation to Geneva
Deputy Home Affairs Minister Fatima Chohan will from Monday - Thursday, 5-8 December 2011 lead a government delegation to Ministerial meetings of the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva Switzerland.
Deputy Minister Chohan’s participation in these meetings comes within the context of South Africa’s commitment to fulfil its international obligations to ensure rights of asylum seekers who seek refuge within the Republic.
South Africa is also currently reviewing the management of its asylum seeker processes with a view to ensuring they are responsive to current international trends and practise, within the context of these international obligations.
In this regard, the Deputy Minister will represent South Africa at the 100th Session of the IOM Council while also addressing the High Level Segment on Monday-Tuesday 5-6 December 2011.
Upon conclusion of the IOM meeting, Deputy Minister will participate in the UNHCR’s commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 50th Anniversary of the 1961 Convention of the Reduction of Statelessness.
Thank you.
Questions and Answers
Question: Director-General, could you give us some idea of the numbers of additional immigration officers that will be deployed for the COP17?
Question: Director-General, you say that only 271 delegates have arrived. With only a few days to go, are you expecting a huge influx of delegates?
Answer: (Director-General) You must remember that this event is being hosted in Durban. It is also important to contextualise this so that we understand that although Home Affairs is dealing with immigration, we work as a cluster on projects of this nature. This is not about Home Affairs, it is about our contribution to the project.
In Durban therefore we have about 56 members but from SAPS, we have an addition 42 members who have been trained to perform immigration functions. These officers will be on standby so that if we do have a huge influx of delegates, they will be able to assist us with immigration support. Or if something which has not been planned, like a strike, we will also have these resources which can be deployed as needed. This makes it 98 officials.
With regard to other ports of entry, we wanted to ensure we had a full complement in terms of our staff who can work overtime, etc. We have capacitated to ensure we can provide this support.
Question: Director-General, regarding the review of your immigration processes – do you have any timeframes in this regard? There are concerns that the right to work and study will be revoked – what is your comment on this?
Answer: (Director-General) We are hoping that we will be able to process whatever amendment within the next year – ie. the next sitting of the National Assembly.
In terms of the right to work, we are talking about asylum seekers – we currently have a process that is really not helpful. People come through our ports of entry and then are immediately issued with a section 23 permit. This enables you to present yourself to any of our refugee centres. (incomplete).
Question: Director-General, have we had any indications that protestors, pressure groups are planning to use this platform for demonstrations?
Answer: (Director-General) With regard to this, you must remember we work within the Cluster and the identification of threats, etc is something the cluster, as a whole, is responsible for, particularly the State Security Agency is also responsible for this. Home Affairs does participate as part of the National Joints (NATJOCS) but we are really ready for any such eventuality.
Question: Director-General, how will you ensure that genuine asylum seekers are assisted? Will the children of asylum seekers be allowed to attend school?
Answer: (Director-General) You will remember that South Africa is a signatory to international conventions and protocols on the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. We are therefore clear about who is an asylum seeker and the processes that must be followed to grant refugee status.
Once that status has been determined and refugee status granted, everything follows suit. In South Africa, we know that the only right that refugees are not granted is the right to vote, which is granted to South African citizens.
