Provincial Home Affairs Performance Reports, 1st quarter 2012: Western Cape, Northern Cape & Eastern Cape

Home Affairs

01 August 2012
Chairperson: Ms M Maunye (ANC)
Share this page:

Meeting Summary

The Provincial Department of Home Affairs offices in Western, Northern and Eastern Cape gave reports on their activities in the first quarter of 2012. They presented the geographic and demographic background, the municipalities covered, and indicated where offices had been set up in hospitals. Each of the offices also provided staff and gender profiles, and indicated their vacancy levels. The Eastern Cape  presented details of spending. The offices also detailed statistics, asset figures, fleet numbers and conditions of vehicles, including the mobile offices. In the Western Cape, 6 out the 11 mobile offices were functional, in Northern Cape there were 12 vehicles, but three were lent to Limpopo in return for two bakkies, which  had really helped in reaching remote areas where the trucks were unable to go, and seven out of the remaining nine had full connectivity. In Eastern Cape, there were 17 mobile units, of which 7 were functional. In all provinces, some offices still needed to relocate, and inadequate office accommodation was cited as a challenge, with delays from the side of the Department of Public Works in getting new premises or updating and rectifying leases. Statistics were also given for labour relations disputes and fraud and corruption cases. In Western Cape there had been one dismissal. Northern Cape cited improvements in staff reporting instances of attempted bribery. In Eastern Cape, there had been seven prosecutions and other disciplinary action. Figures and details were provided for birth registrations, including the offices at hospitals. schools visited for the purposes of providing students with ID documents, ID new and re-applications and turnaround times. Statistics were also given for applications and issuance of passports, permanent and temporary residence permits, and documentation of foreigners, as well as deportation figures and asylum seeker permits.

Each of the provinces detailed their achievements and challenges. In Western Cape, there were eight disabled employees, with certain positions identified only for disabled employees, and ongoing staff identification and training. In the Northern Cape a number of new offices had already opened or were planned, and disabled employment exceeded 3%. In addition, this office had managed to clear the backlog of temporary residence permits. In Gauteng, achievements included additional stakeholder forums and issuance of IDs to all matric candidates. In Mpumalanga the building of new offices was highlighted, as well as implementation of electronic queue management systems in two offices. In Eastern Cape, there were improved stakeholder relations, including traditional leaders. Challenges in Western Cape included the high incidence of substance abuse, including among Home Affairs staff themselves, outstanding leases, and closure of the Refugee Centre at Maitland on 2 July 2012. One staff member was dismissed for corruption. In Northern Cape, there were challenges with the Stakeholder Forums, and delays in leases, but this province had an arrangement with the municipality for some free office space. Eastern Cape challenges included backlogs, and the Refugee Centre was no longer operational. There were challenges with stakeholder relations still, and particular problems around forgery of death certificates, with funeral parlours posing a problem.

Members were concerned, generally, with administrative problems in using other refugee centres, asked about the nationalities of those receiving Temporary Resident Permits. They were also worried about continuing office accommodation problems, and asked how each province handled illegal immigrants. They asked about procedures for IDs, particularly at schools, late registrations of births, and emergency applications. The commended the Western Cape on its efforts to employ disabled staff, but asked when acting posts would be filled, and wanted to know if this office was complying with the court order to reinstate the Refugee Centre. They asked about specific numbers of applications in Northern Cape, and the arrangements with the mobile units. In Eastern Cape, they wanted to know more about the process to fill the vacant posts, enquired about those staff who had not passed the vetting process, and asked about problems with foreigners illegally entering the province to claim benefits, and how this was being addressed.

Meeting report

Provincial Home Affairs Departmental Reports, 1st quarter 2012: Western Cape, Northern Cape & Eastern Cape
Western Cape Provincial Department

Mr Yusuf Simons, Provincial Manager, Western Cape Provincial Department of Home Affairs, noted that 70% of the statistics were based on the Cape Town Metropolitan area as there was a huge concentration of people in this area. The Province used to have only one office in the central Karoo area, but an office had now also been opened at Laingsburg. His office would look at the areas identified by the Western Cape Provincial Spatial Development Framework as an emerging secondary metropolitan area or emerging economic area, when planning the placement of new offices. The literacy rate in the province gave an indication of the educational level, and that was necessary for recruitment purposes. Western Cape had a large youth population, the majority of whom showed addictions to drugs and alcohol, and this had a negative impact since some of the young staff of the office also abused substances, making the office vulnerable.

There were presently 26 Home Affairs offices in the provinces, with there being only one office in the Central Business District (CBD). Mobile units were used to service local municipalities where there was no Home Affairs office and there were presently 11 mobile units of which only 6 were functional. There were also 11 drivers. The challenge with the mobile units was in relation to their functionality. In all, there were 90 vehicles in the Province, all of which were functional. There had been a full presence established in some hospitals. 13 out of the 25 offices have been refurbished. There were 6 outstanding leases and the necessary documentation had been submitted to the Department of Public Works (DPW). The Refugee Centre at Maitland was closed on 2 July 2012, because the office received a notice on 30 April 2012 from the landlord, on the termination of its lease. However, there was a temporary facility at the Customs House for the processing of outstanding applications. Refugee passports and extensions were now being issued at Barrack Street, Cape Town. As from 2 July 2012, new applicants for asylum would have to apply at any of the three other Refugee Centres in the country. There were attempts to find an alternative site for the Refugee Centre.

In the Western Cape, there had been improvement in equity employment rate and there were eight disabled staff members. The majority of staff members taking sick leave were from levels 6 to 8; being the production staff. The office had also identified qualified staff members who were doing menial jobs and was working at placing them in the right positions. This office had also embarked on sensitisation of its staff on corruption. It had recently dismissed a staff member from the Wynberg office for collecting and not banking office money, and criminal charges had been laid. Supply chain management had also been decentralised, enabling the office to handle urgent matters. Most of the staff members had been vetted. There was constant interaction with stakeholders with the creation of Stakeholders’ Forums and the creation of a Youth Forum in the Province. The office’s biggest project at the moment was the filling of a 121 vacant positions. The office had identified the Cape Town, Bellville and Wynberg offices for improved service delivery.

Discussion
Ms P Maduna (ANC) asked how the office was able to employ eight disabled persons, and said other provinces could learn from this. She was, however, concerned that three out of four directors were employed in an acting capacity.

Ms Maduna asked the reason for the long delays in the repairs and maintenance of the mobile units.

Mr G Mcintosh (COPE) asked the meaning of  an “FOC” in a mobile unit.

Mr Mcintosh stated that South Africa had the highest number of refugees, which was a serious issue, and reminded Mr Yusuf of a recent court order mandating the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to reopen the refugee centre in Maitland. He asked for more detail on the administrative and technical aspects of using the other refugee centres in the country.

Mr M De Freitas (DA) also asked whether the office had checked if its decision to close the Refugee Centre in Maitland legally complies with the recent court decision on the issue. He asked for more detail on the cause of the termination of the leases on its offices and what the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) was doing to rectify this. He further asked about the reasons why the Refugee Centre, when it was open, had such a non-conducive working environment.

Mr McIntosh also wanted more detail on the nationalities of those receiving Temporary Resident Permits (TRPs). He asked also how ID cards would be issued to those aged 16, and noted that finger prints were not taken when babies’ births were registered

Mr De Freitas asked who the members were of the Youth Forum, its functions and how it would benefit the DHA.

Mr De Freitas asked whether any study had be done on the reasons for the high absenteeism amongst the production staff. He wanted more details on why people with higher qualifications were employed to do menial jobs in the first place and what was being done to rectify this. He also noted that many staff members were ignorant of the relevant legislation and suggested that training programmes be set up.

Mr M Mnqasela (DA) asked whether the office had a mitigating strategy to prevent high absenteeism amongst production staff in the future? Mr Mnqasela also asked for more details on the issue of vetting of staff members. What was the office’s plan to meet and surpass the 2 per cent national target on the employment of people with disability?

Mr De Freitas asked whether the mobile units were being used to the full.

Mr Mnqasela also raised concerns around the non-functionality of the mobile units and asked what was being done to rectify this.

Mr M Mnqasela (DA) asked why there were 84 rejected applications for late registration of birth (LRB) in the three months under review, and the nature of such cases.

Ms T Gasebonwe (ANC) asked whether the closure of the Refugee Centre at Maitland would not create an unmanageable burden on three other Refugee Centres in the country.

Ms Gasebonwe asked how this office intended to improve on the issue of unknown statistics of life births at connected hospitals.

The Chairperson asked how far the offices were from the labour wards

The Chairperson asked for clarification on the issue of department agencies and accounts.

Mr Simons gave his responses in relation to questions on employment. In relation to employment of disabled persons, his office obtained information from the Department of Labour database, and also did  headhunting of qualified disabled persons, reserved certain positions only for disabled persons, and would re-advertise until a suitable disabled person was found. He presently had Curriculum Vitaes from 16 disabled persons. Mr Simons made a commitment that his office would meet the 2% national target next year.

In explanation for the numbers of acting positions, Mr Simons explained that there was a long process for filling senior positions, including a competency assessment, proper security clearance, and reference checks. Efforts were being made to fill the positions permanently.

Mr Simons explained, in relation to the mobile units, that repairs were still centralised within a unit called General Management. The problem with the units range from satellite connectivity to damage to the trucks or theft of equipment. “FOC” referred to the “front office clerk”, who was the production officer in mobile units responsible for taking applications and assisting the mobile manager.

Mr Simons said, in relation to refugee questions, that the Western Cape office did not carry out direct deportation, but instead deportees were taken to the Lindlela Centre, where they were then deported by the head office. Repairs could not be effected at the former Maitland Refugee Centre in order to improve the working conditions, because the office was on a month-to-month lease and the landlord refused any such repairs. The office was looking for a suitable place for a new Refugee Centre, and was consulting with stakeholders to avoid being evicted by a court order. In the past five years, over 500 asylum applications were received through the Cape Town harbour and Cape Town airport. Most asylum seekers come through land borders. They were mostly Zimbabweans and Somalis. Some come through the Limpopo River. It was therefore better for them to apply at the closest Refugee Centre. The Cape Town office was processing outstanding asylum applications to ensure that the other Refugee Centres in the country were not overburdened. However, from 2 July 2012, new asylum applications would have to be made at any of the three Refugee Centres in the country. There was an on-going process by the Director General of Home Affairs to employ more people at those Centres in order to increase capacity. A statement had been issued by the communications department of DOH to the effect that the Department was still waiting on the written judgment on the Refugee Centre in Maitland, and would only decide on the next line of action after receipt of the written judgment. For the moment, that Centre would remain closed.

The reasons why some landlords locked the Department out of rented offices in the Western Cape was the non-payment of rent. In the case of the Mitchell’s Plain office the DHA had to pay the landlord from its fund and then claimed a refund from the DPW. The Director General of Home Affairs was strongly urging the need for the DHA to have more control over its leases.

Mr Simons said that most nationals applying for TRPs were Zimbabweans, Congolese, Dutch, Germans and Namibians. Children were assigned an identification number when registered at birth, but their finger prints were not taken. At 16 years of age, a person then had to apply for the Identity document and would then have his biometric data taken and an Identity document issued bearing the identity number issued him at birth.

Mr Simons said the office had not done any study on the reason for the high absenteeism amongst the production staff and would rectify this since it had already identified this problem. The Department focused on and gave advantage to staff members with qualifications and those doing menial jobs were being identified in order to place them in the right positions.

Ms A Mafuleka, Director: Finance and Support, Western Cape Department of Home Affairs, stated that those identified qualified staff members with higher qualifications who were still doing menial jobs had been employed as junior staff and then obtained their qualification during their employment. The office was monitoring staff members on bursaries to ensure that they were placed in the right positions when they obtained their qualifications.

Mr Yusuf explained that persons under 35 years were qualified to be in the Youth Forum. The Forum was a link between management and the youth. The Forum helped to carry out projects that enlightened South Africans about the activities of the Department. In answer to questions on staff training, he said DHA had a Learning Academy for staff and had a programme that focused on legislation. The Western Cape office also had internal operations training that was linked with the issue of legislation.

Mr Simons stated that he could not say much more on the vetting process as the process was mainly based on confidentiality and security reasons.

Ms Almien Van der Berg, Provincial Co-ordinator, Home Affairs, Western Cape, stated that the number of rejected applications for late registration of birth were usually cases of ‘no show’. These were applicants who failed to come for interviews after being contacted. There were also suspected cases of illegal immigrants trying to enter into the system, which had to be investigated.

In relation to births, he noted that his office received statistics from hospitals but some hospitals were un-cooperative. Negotiations were being held with heads of hospitals on the issue. In some hospitals the Department’s offices were in the labour ward, while in others the offices were outside. The Department does not take an allocated space unless it was secure.

Ms Mafuleka explained that ‘Department agencies and accounts’ referred to payments made to departmental agencies.

Northern Cape Provincial Department Presentation
Mr Abednigo Mvula, Provincial Manager, Home Affairs, Northern Cape, indicated that the Northern Cape Province had 44 Home Affairs offices, of which 40 were functional and four were non-functional due to lack of space. The Province had five districts and so the number of large offices would be increased to five next year. There were currently three large offices at Upington, Kuruman and Kimberley. There were offices in 16 health facilities, of which two were non-operational due to problem of connectivity. Offices would soon be opened at Groblershoop, Victoria West, Sutherland and Hope Town. The Carnarvon office was opened on 1 August 2012, lessening the distance between offices, and the opening of the Sutherland office would also help lessen the economic burden on residents in the area and provide more access to services. Staff for these offices would be recruited from residents in the area.

There were 11 ports of entry which were staffed and were providing services. The budget allocation had been increased to enable the office reach out to more local communities.

The Northern Cape e had achieved 3% target in the employment of disabled persons. There were 39 vacant funded positions which had been advertised, and the recruitment process had commenced.

The Province’s budget for the year was R82.1 million. Budgets were now allocated to provinces based on their needs. The Kimberley office brought in the highest revenue. At offices where more than R5 000 was collected daily, the revenue collection was outsourced to private companies, to ensure the security of the collected revenue. The office had been audited twice and no discrepancies were found.

Birth registration surpassed the target for the quarter and the online hospitals were helping in this regard.

In relation to the identification document (ID) campaign, all the 253 high schools in the Province had been visited and applications taken from learners of 16 years old. The inspectorate staff carried out inspections at schools and the parents of learners who were foreign nationals without proper documentation were contacted to apply for proper documentation for those learners. Mobile offices were also used to visit schools, with three officials per mobile unit, who were also able to do on the spot interviews for late registrations of birth. The office carried out radio campaigns in relation to unclaimed identification documents and also did door to door issuance of these documents. Electronic stocktaking was also carried out to ensure that issued identification documents were cleared from the system.

There were 1 430 applications for passports, 1 404 for temporary passports and 42 for Emergency travel certificates in the quarter. Most of the rejected applications were from illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries. Queries from applicants were monitored to ensure that they were resolved quickly.

Stakeholder Forums have been established in some districts and local municipalities. There was also support from other local structures and the South African Police Service (SAPS). The challenge in the Stakeholders’ Forums was synchronising the plans of the office with those of political stakeholders.
226 applications for temporary residency permits were received in July and the previous backlog had been completely cleared. The office now processed applications for Permanent Residency Permits. The office carried out deportation of illegal immigrants and had made 32 direct deportations. Detained immigrants were released after producing proper documentation. SAPS provides holding facilities for detaining illegal immigrants. The office received 17 vehicles this year and allocates at least one vehicle to every new office. There were 12 mobile units, of which three were given to Limpopo Province. Seven out of the remaining nine units were electronically connected. The office had bakkies that were being used to access remote areas that trucks could not reach. Through the decentralisation policy the office was now able to carry out needed repairs.

This provincial department had not been locked out of any of its offices. The office sometimes missed out on suitable office space because of the lengthy processes of the DPW. Some local municipalities have given the Department office spaces for free, but agreements were written in such cases.

Each Province now had an Assistant Director for Crime Prevention who investigated cases of fraud and corruption within a Province. There was constant training of senior and junior staff and staff members were encouraged to apply for bursaries to improve their qualifications. Performance Agreements were signed before the end of April annually, and submitted to the Department of Public Services and Administration. 280 forms had been captured this year and the remaining two that were not captured were due to the staff members being on maternity leave.

Discussion
Mr Mcintosh asked why the office issued so many temporary passports and emergency travel certificates.

Mr De Freitas was concerned about whether the number of people entering hospitals where the Department had offices was not compromising the hygiene of such hospitals.

Mr De Freitas asked the reasons for slow action by the DPW, and wondered if accepting office space for free would not compromise the Department.

Ms D Mathebe (ANC) asked for clarity on why people had to pay so much to reach the De Aar office. She asked what happened to illegal migrants if the Province had no Refugee Centre.

Ms Mathebe also asked for clarification on the bribery issue.

Ms Gasebonwe asked for clarity on the transferring of illegal immigrants for deportation.

Ms Maduna asked what the nature of the arrangement was with SAPS concerning illegal immigrants.

Ms Maduna asked if there were any disabled persons in the Youth Forums.

Ms Gasebonwe asked about performance bonuses.

Mr Mnqasela asked why this office gave three vehicles to Limpopo Province. He also asked which company serviced the satellite.

Mr Mnqasela asked for the reasons for identity documents being uncollected and what the office was doing about the issue. He also wanted to know more about the nature of monthly queries and the challenges in addressing them.

Mr Mnqasela asked why 77 detainees were released without being deported, for how long deportees were kept in holding services, and whether the office had holding facilities.

Mr Mvula stated that many people applied for temporary passports and some applied for emergency travel certificates. The number of applications had increased since the location of mines in Kuruman and Postmasburg. Applicants usually stated that they lost their passports and need to make urgent trips to neighbouring countries. However, the applications were seasonal.

Mr Mvula explained the costs in De Aar by elucidating that before opening the Carnarvon office, residents in the nearby area used to spend about R800, as a transport cost, to get to the nearest Home Affairs office at De Aar. They were being exploited by transporters. This figure had no relation to the fees paid at the Home Affairs office at De Aar.

Mr Mvula clarified that in this province, there was no Refugee Centre. The Inspectorate staff, in consultation with SAPS, carried out inspections and raids and arrest and detained illegal immigrants. The office had no detention facilities, detention facilities were provided by SAPS.

He explained that staff members were constantly sensitised on the consequences and dangers of bribery. Officials now valued their careers more, and more staff members were now reporting cases where people tried to bribe them. Those who reported bribery cases were also recognised by the Department as exemplary staff members.

Mr Mvula explained that the office spaces given to the department by hospitals were mostly in the local areas, where few persons came in daily. There was an arrangement with these hospitals, and the low volume of people that visited these hospitals ensured that the sterile environment of the hospital was not compromised.

In relation to staff matters, Mr Mvula said that the Department had 1.5% budget for pay progression and 1% wage bill for performance bonuses. The office instructed that there should be disabled persons in the Youth Forum and there were currently three disabled members of the Forum.

Mrs F Khoza, Director: Finance and Support, Northern Cape Department of Home Affairs, stated that the budget for overtime for the Northern Cape Province for this financial year was R1 million.

She added, in relation to illegal entrants, that SAPS was assisting in transporting illegal foreigners and in providing holding facilities.

Ms Khoza noted that the free office spaces were given by municipalities and therefore, there was no danger of compromising the Department.

She responded that Snitch was the company that serviced the mobile units.

Mr Mvula stated that identity documents that were not collected for more than six months were sent back to the head office and were destroyed by the head office if not collected after 12 months. The office phoned and sent letters to applicants to collect their documents. The office ensured that once a query was registered, the contact details of the person who registered the query were obtained and managers were tasked with ensuring that the queries were quickly resolved. A person who did not have proper documentation could be detained according to the enabling Act for 48 hours, and given that time to produce documents, only being released once proper documentation was produced. Some offices have small offices were persons were secured for interview before being handed over to SAPS for detention.

Mr Mvula explained that during the National Population Registration Campaign, his office handed over three vehicles to Limpopo to help this province in the exercise. In return, his office received two 4x4 bakkies from the Limpopo office and there was also an agreement that one of the three vehicles would be returned. The two bakkies had really helped his office in accessing very remote areas. It was a ‘give and take’ arrangement that had benefited the office.

Eastern Cape Provincial Department
Mr Gcinile Mabulu, Provincial Manager, Home Affairs, Eastern Cape Province, stated that Eastern Cape Province was predominantly rural, and characterised by farmlands, administrative and traditional authorities. There was poor infrastructure, leading to high rate of repairs to mobile units. Poor road infrastructure posed a problem to the Department, as some villages had insurmountable barriers such as mountains and rivers. Although great strides were made during the National Population Registration Campaign, there was still a backlog in providing enabling documents to citizens. The Department had a total of 75 offices in the province. There was a Refugee Centre which was not fully operational as it had been closed, but it was still processing outstanding applications. In Chris Hani, the Department had no presence in two areas. In Amathole there was no presence in Great Kei and Nxuba. For Nxuba, the Department was awaiting finalisation of the Thusong Centre in Adelaide by the Provincial government. The opening of offices in Komga and Great Kei would be prioritised in the next financial year. In Cacadu, there was no presence in four listed areas. An office would be opened in Paterson, and Sundays River Valley but this had not been prioritised in this financial year. Mobile units were used to service all these areas where the Department had no presence.

Four District Manager Operations positions were vacant and had been advertised. The office had 824 staff members with two females in senior management level. The total establishment was 863, with 824 filled and 39 advertised.

In terms of the budget, the office was lagging behind in the compensation of employees due to the vacant positions that had been advertised and others that were yet to be advertised. Expenditure on goods and services was slow because the decentralisation of procurement process took some time and there was a need for capacity of personnel in the procurement unit of the Provincial office. This held up the procurement process for a while, but hopefully there would be an improvement now that there was capacity in the unit. These issues affected the total expenditure.

The office had also signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with various stakeholders. There was also collaboration with the Department of Health (DOH). The ‘Road to Health’ card posed problems for applicants in applying for enabling documents. The provincial office then introduced Maternity Certificates which would be adopted by the Province to help solve the problem. The funeral parlours were posing problems in relation to death certificates because of the fraud and corruption associated with them. The office was having regular meetings with them and would soon have a MOU. The office was also collaborating with traditional leaders on the issue of identity documents.

There were 45 Stakeholders Forums in the Province but the Provincial Forum was yet to be formed. The critical stakeholders in aiding foreign nationals to obtain identity documents were councillors, traditional leaders, ministers of religion, Department of Health (through the Road to Health card), funeral parlours, principals and Department of Social Services in terms of  the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). A Traditional Leaders’ initiative was launched on 27 March 2012 and this gave the Department access to approximately 1400 traditional leaders and helped in the credibility and verification of data.

The office visited 502 schools within the quarter and a total of 1 528 identity documents were handed out to matric learners. A total of 62 914 identity documents were distributed in the quarter. Identity documents on hand as at 30 June 2012 were 27 329 (with 9 999 being older than three months). Passport applications in the quarter totalled 5 370. The number of unfinalised queries was 2 302 and the reasons were incomplete applications, failure to attend interviews by applicants and incorrect contact details. 1 220 application for temporary resident visas were received in the quarter. 225 rejected asylum seekers were handed over for deportation, and seven employers were prosecuted.

Quarterly asset verifications were conducted to ensure assets were efficiently and effectively accounted for. The office had 127 vehicles and 17 mobile units (of which 7 mobile units were functional). 112 security clearances were issued while five (Secret) were denied.

There were constant staff interactive meetings. The office’s achievements include the filling of one Local Manager (ASD) position in Sterkspruit, 27 posts of Chief Administrative Clerks, arrest and conviction of foreign nationals for alteration or fabrication of section 22 permits, and successful deployment of mobile units for projects. The challenges include the non-sitting of some local forums, the lengthy process in amendment and duplicate cases, delays by the DPW in procuring office accommodation, non-suitable accommodation, as some offices had bees and snakes.

Discussion
Mr Mnqasela asked what the office was doing to rid itself of the scourge of late registration of births in the province.

Mr Mnqasela asked why security clearance was denied to five persons, and whether this was in any way linked to criminality.

Mr Mnqasela asked about the non-functionality of the mobile units.

Mr Mcintosh asked why the office had not listed statistics for  temporary passports. He asked if this office had problems with foreign nationals coming through the borders to claim grants and benefits from the system.

Ms Mathebe asked whether the office had engaged with the DPW on the issue of poor road infrastructure. She also asked if this Province had plans in relation to areas where it had no presence, and whether it wanted to increase the number of its mobile units.

Ms Mathebe asked what was being done to fill the many vacant positions.

Ms Gasebonwe asked what steps the office had taken against non-citizens who claim grants and benefits.

The Chairperson asked that the maternity certificate be explained.

The Chairperson, noting that other provinces had not mentioned a Provincial Co-ordinator, asked that this role be explained and commented on lack of uniformity in the Department’s staff structure.

The Chairperson asked how the Forums in the province were funded, and whether there was a budget for them.
 
Mr Mabulu stated that the various District Manager Operations (DMO) funded the Forums from their respective budgets. Normally this involved costs for catering and the transportation of stakeholders from remote areas for meetings. The Province, within its budget, would also have to fund these meetings and the transportation.

Mr Mabulu confirmed that the ‘Road to health’ cards caused problems as they had been issued to foreigners, in the past, by nurses and it was difficult to identify the nurses who issued them. The office then came up with the Maternity Certificates that had security features inbuilt, to address the problem by enabling the identification of the issuing nurse. The maternity certification had now attained the status of being adopted by the Provincial government and the Department’s Provincial office.

Mr Mabulu said all Stakeholder Forums were required to have meetings with critical stakeholders, particularly traditional leaders, to be able to obtain credible data.

Mr Mabulu confirmed that his office was having problems with foreign nationals coming through the borders to claim grants in the neighbouring areas. The office recently received complaints from a police officer that Lesotho nationals came through the border in huge numbers during the period of the pay-out of grants. The office was tackling this through its collaboration with SASSA. SASSA was presently conducting verification processes, through which it was able to identify fraudulent identity documents and birth certificates. The office wanted to formalise its partnership with SASSA and also ensure collaboration between SASSA and Stakeholder Forums in the verification process.

Ms Sonto Lusu, District Manager: Operations, Cacadu, stated that the office had massive outreach programmes where stakeholders were engaged with, in an effort to eradicate cases of Late Registrations of Birth. Applications were invited from persons who did not have identity documents, through the forums and the community radio. The office was also doing community profiling, in which officials went to the wards to engage with the people and invite applications for identity documents.

Ms Lusu confirmed that the five officials that were denied clearance had been removed from their areas of operation as a precautionary measure. They had appealed the process and the appeal process was on-going. The officials involved in labour related cases have been sanctioned and some had been suspended without pay. Staff members were trained on the Department’s policy so that they would be aware of what was expected of them. Erring staff members were always named and shamed to serve as an example to others.

Ms Lusu confirmed that uncollected identity documents that were older than three months were circulated to the office’s partners so that they could identify persons within their areas. If an applicant came after six months, the identity document was retrieved from the head office, obviating the need for a new application. The office issued temporary passports and maternity certificates but did not reflect them in its presentation statistics.

Ms T Johannes, Director: Finance and Support, Eastern Cape Provincial Department, stated that the office had advertised all the vacant positions and had prioritised the two DMO posts. The recruitment was at an advanced stage. All the vacant positions would be filled in the next three months. She also confirmed that all the provinces did have a Provincial Co-ordinator whose role was basically monitoring and evaluation.

Ms Lusu stated that immigration officers usually opened criminal cases in cases of aiding/abetting against South African informants. The office had had favourable outcomes in some of the cases in court and fines had been imposed, as well as suspended sentences.

Ms Johannes stated that the problem with the mobile units was satellite reception and the service provider would have to be engaged to improve on service delivery.

Ms Lusu added that the office was exploring 3G options in relation to the mobile units.

The meeting was adjourned.

Share this page: