Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber Budget Vote 2024 Speech

15 July 2024

House Chairperson of the National Assembly;

Members of the National Executive;

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Njabulo Nzuza;

Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, Honourable Mr Mosa Chabane;

Honourable Members of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs;

Honourable Members of the National Assembly;

Director General of the Department of Home Affairs, Mr Tommy Makhode and team;

Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Mr Mosotho Moepya;

Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), Dr Mike Masiapato;

Chief Executive Officer of the Government Printing Works (GPW), Ms Alinah Fosi;

Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Refugee Appeals, Ms Jane Mugwena;

Chairperson of the Refugee Appeals Authority, Adv Zilpha Raphesu;

Our special guests: Mr Mavuso Msimang, the former head of Operation Vulindlela in the Department and former DG of Home Affairs, Immigration practitioners, Andreas Krensel of IBN and Stefanie du Saude-Darbandi, as well as Home Affairs officials, and the media on various platforms.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Department of Home Affairs is central to the life of each and every South African.

We interact with this Department at the very beginning of our lives, when our parents apply for a birth certificate. And it is also the last Department that touches all of our lives when we pass away, and the loved ones we leave behind have to collect our death certificate.

Home Affairs is there for the highs and lows in the life of every South African.

When we enter adulthood, when we open a bank account, when we start our first job, when we get married, when we lose loved ones and when we have children – Home Affairs is part of every major event in all of our lives. 

This is also the Department that confirms our very identity as South Africans.

Since 1994, this is the Department that has made us all equal.

It is in Home Affairs where the foundations of racial discrimination – the Population Registration Act and the despised passbooks – were dismantled and replaced with a single South African Identity Card. 

When you hold the Smart ID card in your hand, you are grasping the embodiment of the constitutional injunction that we must build a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity. No matter what your background is, whether you are rich or poor, and whether you live in a city or a rural area – on the IDs issued by Home Affairs we are all equally, simply, and completely South African.

At its heart, Home Affairs is about dignity. The dignity of having an identity and a nationality. The dignity of belonging somewhere in this great big world. The dignity of being able to travel beyond our borders. The dignity of giving your child their name on a birth certificate. The dignity of being able to have a bank account and to access an old age pension.

As your newly-appointed Minister of Home Affairs, I not only recognise and acknowledge that dignity is at the heart of this Department. I will also make it my mission to restore dignity to interactions with Home Affairs, both for the many dedicated officials who have found their calling by serving the people of South Africa through this vital Department, and to our clients.

And there is nothing that brings dignity, like a job.

Positioning Home Affairs as an engine of economic growth

That is why we are going to position Home Affairs as a powerful engine for economic growth. The Apex Priority of the Government of National Unity, as captured in our shared Statement of Intent, is to generate rapid, inclusive and sustainable economic growth to create jobs. Home Affairs has a critical role to play in achieving this vision, by accelerating the reforms introduced by the President through Operation Vulindlela.

According to Operation Vulindlela’s 2022 review of the work visa process in South Africa – whose lead author, Mr Mavuso Msimang, I am honoured to have as a guest here today – there is a 1.25% increase in employment for South Africans for every 1% increase in skilled, legal immigration. The National Treasury has also found that increasing the availability of scarce skills in the labour market is the second most powerful step we can take to grow the economy and create jobs for South Africans – just behind the eradication of loadshedding.

It is in fulfilment of this mandate of the GNU, that Home Affairs will enhance our role as an economic enabler by accelerating the implementation of Operation Vulindlela’s reforms. Alongside steps that have already been taken, such as the streamlining of required documents and the introduction of the Trusted Employer Scheme, we will do much more. This includes finalisation of the points-based system for work visas, rolling out the remote working and start-up visas, updating the critical skills list more regularly, and making it easier for more tourists to visit our beautiful country and spend their valuable foreign currency right here in South Africa.

Visa backlog

However, in order for us to be effective in unlocking scarce skills and growing tourism to create jobs, Home Affairs must urgently clear the backlog in the processing of permits. The Department has set up a dedicated team to reduce the backlog. We are joined here today by the head of that team, Ms Elize Breytenbach, who has my full support for this work.

I am pleased to report that we are starting to see progress. Our dedicated team has already reduced the backlog by processing 92 886 applications out of a total of 306 042. This is a reduction of 30%. But we must do more, because clearing this backlog is the only way to avoid another extension of the concession on visas, waivers and appeals that has already been granted three times. This is an abnormal situation, and we must get this problem under control so that extensions are no longer necessary. For this reason, I have asked to be provided with daily reports on the state of the backlog until it is eradicated.

Another encouraging sign comes from the Department’s partnership with Business Unity South Africa ("BUSA"), which will see the auditing firm Deloitte as well as First National Bank providing additional resources for the visa backlog team. This not only lays the foundation for overcoming this key obstacle to economic growth and job creation, but also for a more constructive relationship with the private sector.

Immigration Advisory Board

Repairing our relationship with key stakeholders is vital to building trust and the partnerships we need to move forward. This is especially urgent because the Department is currently inundated with costly court cases that it cannot afford. In many instances, these cases stem from a simple inability to process applications in a timely manner, forcing clients to seek judicial relief. In other cases, they reflect a serious breakdown in trust between the Department and stakeholders.

This crippling situation cannot be allowed to continue. It consumes valuable resources that can be better spent on other critical priorities. I have therefore asked for a dashboard to be created that reflects all outstanding court orders so that the Department complies with orders before even more costly litigation is instituted. Clearing the permitting backlog will also help with this problem, as we are determined to issue outcomes more speedily once we have that breathing space.

I wish to highlight two court outcomes that are currently receiving attention. The first is on the provision of smart ID cards to naturalised citizens. This is being phased-in, with 280 cards already issued and another 697 in progress. Once the system has been adjusted to verify compliant applications, all naturalized citizens will be able to visit any Home Affairs office equipped with live-capture facilities to apply for their smart ID cards. I am also following developments around the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling that South Africans who lost their citizenship under the invalid section 6(1)(a) of the Citizenship Act must have their citizenship reinstated. Home Affairs will comply with the order.

However, we need to do more to demonstrate that we are serious about rebuilding trust. Therefore, I am happy to announce today that, in terms of section 4(2) of the Immigration Act of 2002, Home Affairs will reactivate the Immigration Advisory Board as a matter of urgency. This board provides a powerful platform for key stakeholders to engage with the Department on an ongoing basis about problems affecting the sector. Importantly, the Advisory Board can provide the Minister with evidence-based advice on tackling critical matters, such as the court-ordered process of consultation on the future of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit.

Going forward, the Advisory Board will serve as a vital forum where problems can be ironed out before they escalate to the courts, and where scientifically-researched and evidence-based advice can help us address key challenges. 

The reinstatement of the Immigration Advisory Board serves as a powerful signal of our commitment to rebuilding trust in Home Affairs, respecting expert advice, and addressing policy questions in a consultative, scientific and legally-compliant manner.

Securing our borders for security and economic growth 

Even as we work to implement the GNU mandate for a better visa system to welcome people who want to contribute to South Africa legally through their skills, investments and as tourists, we must acknowledge that there is another side to this coin. South Africa needs to do much more to combat illegal immigration. We must do so both because it is central to our national security, but also out of our commitment to economic growth. The reality is that no one will want to visit or invest if we allow our country to lose control over its borders and internal security.

This problem needs to be tackled in a sustained, integrated and collaborative way. In the coming year, Home Affairs will increase the number of inspections at restaurants, spaza shops, farms and mines by over 50% in order to take action against people illegally employed, including through deportations. But these inspections are most effective when done in collaboration with other Departments, such as Employment and Labour, the South African Police Service (“SAPS”), and local government. I will be reaching out to colleagues in the relevant Departments with the aim of conducting joint operations to maximise our ability to hold everyone involved in illegal activities to account.

In order to improve its operational capacity, on the 1st of June 2024, the Border Management Authority (“BMA”) deployed an additional 400 Junior Border Guards, after an eight-month training programme. The majority of the Junior Border Guards are deployed at key and vulnerable land ports of entry, such as Beitbridge to Zimbabwe, Lebombo and Kosi Bay to Mozambique, as well as at Maseru and Ficksburg to Lesotho. Their primary tasks include addressing the scourge of illegal entry, the smuggling of illicit cigarettes, stolen high-value vehicles, and stock theft. 

To date, the BMA’s Border Guards have intercepted and deported over 296 000 individuals who had attempted to enter the country illegally. In addition, over 303 vehicles were intercepted when criminals attempted to illegally take them out of South Africa. These illegal cross-border activities will further be combatted after the BMA received funding from the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA), which is being utilized to procure critical security and ICT equipment, such as drones, body cameras, and speed boats through ARMSCOR.

To improve trade facilitation, the BMA awaits receipt of proposals from the private sector for the redesign and redevelopment of the six critical ports of entry through a Public-Private Partnership. The targeted ports are Beitbridge, Lebombo, Oshoek, Maseru Bridge, Ficksburg and Kopfontein. The bid process will close in the next two months, after which final approval will be sought from National Treasury before the start of the redevelopment work. This work is in line with our commitment to facilitate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA).

But the reality is that the BMA – like Home Affairs itself – is underfunded. If we want to properly manage our borders, we will have to invest more resources in doing so.

Ensuring the system is online and reducing queues

A further urgent priority in improving the dignity of interactions with Home Affairs is to stabilise the online system. It is unacceptable that, in the year 2024 and in the age of Artificial Intelligence, we still do not have a reliable IT system at Home Affairs. The days of “system offline” need to come to an end, because I want to be the Minister of “system online.”

In order to achieve this, we need to embrace modern technological solutions. One of the options under consideration is the recommendations from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (“CSIR”) to optimise the Department’s IT infrastructure network. I am pleased to report that the first set of offices have now been upgraded to fibre, ensuring operating speeds at 1Gbps throughout. These advancements have been made possible through Home Affairs migrating to the South African National Research Network (“SANReN”), resulting in notable enhancements at the following locations:

The Wynberg Office here in Cape Town, as well as the Menlyn, Cresta and Pavilion offices, have shown improvements following their migration to the SANReN network.

Additionally, progress has been made in extending the fibre network to other key locations at the King Shaka International Airport, Umngeni and Soshanguve offices where fibre network installation is complete.

While these examples demonstrate that it is possible to overcome the problems that result in unacceptable periods of system downtime, we need to dramatically speed up our work in the area of technological improvements.

The problem of long queues must be similarly tackled. While technological upgrades will also assist in this regard, I intend to review the way in which queues are managed at Home Affairs offices to identify appropriate business process reforms that optimise the online booking system and better manage queues on the ground.

Expanding our footprint through infrastructure and mobile trucks

Another way to shorten the queues at Home Affairs offices is by expanding our footprint and taking services closer to the people. I am pleased to report that the project to expand into shopping malls has seen the opening of conveniently-located offices in the Menlyn Mall in Pretoria, in the Cresta Mall in Johannesburg, and in the Pavilion Mall in eThekwini.

This will shortly be followed by the opening of a new office inside the Tyger Valley Mall here in the Western Cape, as well as modernised services at the Stellenbosch office. We will work with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to address the stalled construction of modernised offices in Taung in the Northern Cape, Thohoyandou in Limpopo, and KwaDukuza in KwaZulu-Natal. We have also relocated services to a new office in Chatsworth following the flooding of offices there.

The Department’s additional one hundred (100) mobile trucks that were recently launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa are now in operation. I saw them in action for myself this past week, when the Deputy Minister and I visited oThongathi to hand over new Smart Identity Cards to the victims of the storms and tornado that ripped through the area last month. The mobile fleet, and the diligent officials who served a community that had lost so much, exemplifies how we can restore dignity to the people through Home Affairs.

Tackling corruption

Honourable Chairperson,

Corruption is the enemy of dignity. Theft, fraud and other forms of maladministration pose an existential threat to the vision for a dignified Home Affairs that powers economic growth. This includes by devaluing our official documents. Even though the announcement by Ireland last week that citizens of South Africa and Botswana now require visas to visit the country did not specifically mention this issue, I am still going to request a meeting with the Irish Ambassador to understand the extent to which concerns over corruption influenced this regrettable decision.

Investigations by the Special Investigation Unit (“SIU”) are also ongoing. I urge the Unit to prioritise these investigations, including the ones identified in the Lubisi Report. In cases where implicated persons resigned from the Department, the long arm of the law must follow them. Where officials are found to be facilitating photo swops and marriages of convenience, I’m warning them now that the Department will not only institute disciplinary measures but that criminal action will also follow. 

Home Affairs also has its own Counter Corruption and Security Services Branch that must be strengthened. Even as we work to empower diligent officials, there will be absolutely no tolerance for corruption under the administration of the Government of National Unity.

A good example of what we expect comes from last month, when a Pakistani national, Arfan Ahmed, was convicted for bribing Home Affairs officials at the Krugersdorp office to the tune of R45 000. He was sentenced to a term of eight years in prison and is facing additional charges. I look forward to his conviction on those matters as well. So far, six officials were also convicted and sentenced to a combined 70 years imprisonment. The rest of the criminal cases are pending.  

This is the type of accountability all South Africans want to see more often for people – both foreigners and local officials – who debase our country through their corruption and greed.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the Government Printing Works (GPW)

Both the Independent Electoral Commission and the Government Printing Works also fall under this budget vote.

The IEC has a budget of R2.3 billion to do its work this year.

In the first quarter of this financial year, the IEC delivered a historic election, thirty years since our country’s transition to democracy. It is a constitutional imperative that elections must be held every five years for the reconstitution of this Assembly and provincial legislatures. Elections were thus held on 29 May 2024.

A total of 16.2 million citizens cast their ballots in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections, representing a voter turnout of 58.64%. Additionally, 14 902 candidates from 70 parties and 11 independent candidates contested for the 887 seats available across the 10 representative assemblies. 

We thank those who participated in these elections as voters as well as candidates for enriching our democracy.

After major electoral events such as we just had, the Electoral Commission is set to undertake a review. This process will include key stakeholders, including political parties represented in this House. South Africans expect the review process to be thorough, so that operational and technical challenges are addressed ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

The Electoral Amendment Act of 2023 contemplated the appointment of an Electoral Reform Consultation Panel. Predicated on the resolution of this House, the panel members have been appointed. The panel has commenced its work and must conclude its task within 12 months of the recently held elections.

I’d like to encourage all South Africans to engage with the important work of the panel.

Unlike the IEC, which is an independent institution in terms of Chapter 9 of the Constitution, the Government Printing Works (GPW) is an entity of the Department and serves as South Africa’s security printer. GPW prints documents such as travel and identity documents and examination materials, and is also responsible for security certification. Importantly, the GPW is a profitable State-Owned Entity, with revenue of R1.7 billion in the 2023/24 financial year.

During the current administration, both the passport and smart ID card will be refreshed and updated in order to enhance the security features of these documents, with the aim of building trust by more countries and organisations worldwide.

International migration and refugee protection

Our Constitution and our laws provide protection to vulnerable members of society, including those who seek refuge in our country. To this end, we work with other institutions like the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR). In September last year, the UNHCR advised the Department that they were going to defund the backlog project that we had partnered on in 2021.

This decision has serious implications for the capacity the Refugee Appeals Authority, which saw its number of members reduced from 30 to 10. I am grateful that the European Union is now funding the 10 members in order to build capacity. However, the need for more global support to help South Africa manage migration is an issue I will be taking up strongly at the relevant global forums.

Legislative programme

Home Affairs is further implementing all the legislative reforms that have been ordered by the courts. We are committed to reducing the cost of litigation and demonstrating to the courts that we respect them and the rule of law. 

We will work with Parliament to finalise the Bills that have been approved by Cabinet and were tabled in Parliament, namely the: Marriage Bill, the One-Stop Border Post Bill, and amendments to Section 34 of the Immigration Act.

I must however also point out that, as we finalise the programme of the Government of National Unity, we will adjust and align our policies with the priorities of this historic new administration. In this regard, we will speedily review our performance targets and budget allocations where necessary, and report back to the House.

Conclusion

Honourable Chairperson,

Last but certainly not least, I want to acknowledge three more guests we have here today, and share two anecdotes with you that demonstrate the dignified Department we aim to build. The first one involves Ms Dudu Mahlangu, who works at Visa Facilitation Services (“VFS”) and is in the audience today. Last week, she physically got on a plane and flew to East London to assist a client who faced an emergency situation.

She’s not the only official who went above and beyond to deliver. With us today too are Mr Fuzile Sibetha and Mr Mthetheleli Draai. I found out about them when I received a heart-warming message from a social media user on X, formerly Twitter. The used posted about his positive experience at the Bellville Home Affairs office. He reported that Mr Sibetha and Mr Draai went out of their way to assist his autistic child to apply for his enabling document in a dignified manner.

I invited all three of them as my personal guests to this sitting, so that I can say in public: thank you, we see you, and we are proud of you. Your actions exemplify our mission to bring dignity to all services rendered by Home Affairs. 

Because a working Home Affairs, makes South Africa work.

Thank you.

Issued by Department of Home Affairs, 15 July 2024