Home Affairs Budget Vote Report

Meeting report

The Chairperson welcomed everyone present and announced the purpose of the meeting: to consider and adopt the draft Committee report on Budget Vote 5: Department of Home Affairs.

She acknowledged present Members and noted apologies.

Committee Report on Budget Vote 5: Department of Home Affairs

The Content Advisor would take Members through the key areas of the report and the recommendations.

Amongst the recommendations:

-The Department should ensure that long queues at all offices are addressed as expeditiously as possible. Mobile offices should be rolled out in all provinces, particularly in rural areas to ensure accessibility and efficient service delivery. The Department should partner with Traditional Leaders in the rural areas whilst rolling out the mobile units.

-The Department should clear all backlogs in respect of the processing of visas and permits and increase capacity and training to expedite this process. The Department should, within 30 days of adoption of the Committee report, submit an action plan to the Committee on how it will address backlogs.

-The Committee noted the progress and achievements of the Department but resolved that the Department could do more to achieve its targets, particularly in respect of increasing the procurement for women owned businesses to 40% as per the commitment of SONA. Further, the Department should extend this target to include persons with disabilities, albinism, lgbtqi+ and those from rural areas should also receive this benefit.

-The Committee noted that in the Northern Cape there were no health facilities to accommodate the live capture of births and the Province is very vast. The Committee encouraged the Department to increase its footprint in all Provinces to ensure that this important service, amongst others, is rolled out extensively.

[See the report for details]

The Chairperson submitted the report for consideration and adoption.

Members adopted the report.

Read: ATC240716: Policy Assessment and Recommendations Report of the Select Committee on Security and Justice on the 2024/25 Budget Vote 5, Annual Performance Plan (APP) of the Department of Home Affairs, dated 16 July 2024

Dr N Mcinga (EFF; Eastern Cape), speaking in vernacular, suggested an additional recommendation regarding Home Affairs Mobile Offices in most rural parts of the country. She suggested that these mobile offices could also be housed by local authorities or traditional leaders. The Department must forge partnerships with local traditional leaders to assist in facilitating and placing these mobile offices. They must also employ the locals in those offices, not people from outside the community they serve.

The Chairperson welcomed the suggestion and noted that it would be included in the report as a recommendation as it did not substantively change the report in its current form.

Mr N Gotsell (DA; Western Cape) wanted to know about how the Committee goes about arranging interpretation services for meetings.

The Chairperson replied that the administrators or the secretariat often make arrangements for such service to be available during the meeting if a prior request is made.

The meeting was adjourned.