Committee Reports: adoption

HOME AFFAIRS PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
20 June 2006
COMMITTEE REPORTS: ADOPTION

Chairperson: Mr H Chauke (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Committee Reports:
Oversight visit to Mozambique: June 2005
Oversight visit to Zimbabwe: 10-13 October 2005
Oversight visit to Free State Province: 15-17 August 2005
Oversight visit to KwaZulu-Natal Province: 25-27 August 2005
Annual Report: January-December 2005
[Available shortly on Committee Reports once adopted by the Committee]
Budget Vote 4 for 2006/2007 of the Department of Home Affairs

SUMMARY
The Committee considered and adopted its reports on oversight visits, a report on the 2006/07 budget of the Department of Home Affairs and its own Annual Report for 2005.

MINUTES
The Chairperson reminded Members that World Refugee Day is celebrated on 20 June. He told Members that creating a smart card for refugees remained among the key challenges that faced the Department of Home Affairs. Integration of refugees remains a challenge for Home Affairs.

The Chairperson also told Members that the Speaker of Parliament had written a letter to him regarding the Marriage Act which had been declared unconstitutional in the Constitutional Court in December last year. He suggested that they call the Department of Home Affairs before the Committee to explain how they would be addressing the matter. After this public hearings would be held. He suggested that they make an effort to take Parliament to the people who would not be able to attend the hearings that would be held at Parliament.

Mr W Skhosana (ANC) commented that there would not be enough time after recess to write a letter inviting the Department to brief the Committee. He said that the letter should be sent out immediately so that they had enough time to prepare for the briefing.

Mr M Sibande (ANC) commented that they should encourage rural structures to participate in the public hearings.

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Budget Vote 4 for 2006/2007 of the Department of Home Affairs.

All Parliamentary Committees are required to consider and report on the department and its entities’ budgets and strategic plans after tabling and referral by Parliament. The aim of this is to assess the performance of the department and its entities against the targets they had set to achieve in the previous financial year. The budget and strategic plan hearings on the Department of Home Affairs for 2006/2007 were undertaken on 26, 29 and 31 May 2006.

The key priorities of the Department were to develop and implement an organizational model that ensured that the department had people in the correct positions with the requisite capacity and capabilities to enable to meet its mandate. The department aims to implement the principles of Batho Pele. To eradicate and combat corruption to protect the integrity of the department also formed part of their key priorities.

The 2006/07-budget allocation was R2.8 billion, which is lower than the 2005/06 budget, which was over R3 billion. The 2006/07 budget shows a steady decrease by 7.65%. Provincial allocations for the current year add to a total of R766 million.

The Committee made various recommendations to the Department, some of which were further amended by the Committee.

Discussion

Ms I Mars (IFP) commented that the recommendations that the Committee put to the Department should clearly state who has to take accountability within the Department. Previously the Director General had refused to appear before the Committee and sent someone else in his place.

The Chairperson commented that Government Printing Works should also be held accountable because they had also received a disclaimer from the Auditor General. This was not made known to the Committee at the time of the briefing. A performance contract should also be included for the Department of Home Affairs. The Department must work with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) to improve IT systems. The accounting officers of Home Affairs and SITA must jointly report to the Committee on steps taken to improve the IT system.

Mr W Skhosana (ANC) commented that the IT and security features were complex and enough time was needed to implement them.

The Committee recommended that all documents from the Department should reflect the national coat of arms in keeping with the Constitution.

The Committee adopted the report with the above amendments.

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on an international visit to Mozambique, June 2005
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs undertook a study tour to Mozambique to engage with them on a wide range of issues pertaining to home affairs and migration.

The Committee visited Mozambique with the aim of learning more about the country’s policy coordination pertaining to the waiving of visa fees. During March 2005 South Africa launched a National Immigration Branch (NIB). The protocol on free movement is still to be signed. The Committee wanted to look into the challenges, which exist at port entries such as informal border crossing at the Imbuzini border. The Committee wanted to understand why there was an increasing number of non-Mozambicans like Nigerians, Angolans and Pakistanis arrested in South Africa with false documents from Mozambique. The problem of drug and human trafficking using Mozambique as a gateway to South Africa and the rest of the world was also looked into by the delegation.

The Committee adopted the report with corrections.

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on an oversight visit to Zimbabwe: 10-13 October 2005
The aim of the visit to Zimbabwe was to hold discussions with Zimbabwe on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocols on free movement of persons, and to understand the implications of these agreements. The delegation observed and got a clear understanding of the migration process. The deportation of illegal immigrants was also discussed. The border post was also visited so that an understanding of its operations and challenges could be obtained. The refugee laws and electoral laws were also looked at.

The Committee felt that the late payment of officials of Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs had to be addressed. The Committee recommended that they wait for the SADC protocol to be ratified. Once this was done a visa would not be required by Zimbabweans to enter South Africa.

The Committee adopted the report with the amendments.

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on an oversight visit to Namibia: 17- 19 October 2005
The Portfolio Committee delegation held discussions with their Namibian counterparts on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocols on free movement of persons and to understand the implications of this arrangement. The delegation observed and got a clear understanding of the migration process. The deportation of illegal immigrants was also discussed. The border post was also visited so that an understanding of its operations and challenges could be obtained. The refugee laws and electoral laws were also looked at.

The Chairperson told Members that Namibia first formed part of South Africa. After they had received their independence many of the Namibians held South African citizenship. This has led to Namibia having problems when they tried to set up their own population register. It was decided then that South Africa together with Namibia’s Home Affairs Minister would get the Namibian population register up and running. He stressed to Members that South Africa did not steal Namibia’s population register. Members felt that the recommendation that visa fees be scrapped for students from Namibia wanting to study in South Africa be removed.

The Committee adopted the report with corrections.

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on an oversight visit to Free State Province: 15-17 August 2005
The Portfolio Committee undertook a visit to the Free State to understand its state of readiness for the local government elections, which was held earlier in the year. The Committee also wanted to observe the border posts used as a transit zone between South Africa and Lesotho. The Committee also viewed the systems used to control the movement of people. They also looked at the challenges faced by immigration officials and the Home Affairs Department. The following offices were visited: Welkom Regional Office, Bethlehem District Office and Maseru Bridge Port Control Office.

The Committee removed the recommendation that immigration officials should be fully capacitated (with necessary resources) to defend the country from foreigners. The Committee decided that they would remove the recommendation that overtime be paid to staff.

The Committee adopted the report with amendments.

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on an oversight visit to Northern Cape Province: 17-19 August 2005
The Portfolio Committee undertook a visit to the Northern Cape to understand its state of readiness for the local government elections, which was held earlier in the year. The Committee wanted an understanding of the challenges faced by immigration officials and the Department of Home Affairs. The Committee was pleased with the manner in which the Home Affairs office in the province was run. They felt that this Department should be used as a model for other departments.

The Committee adopted the report with corrections.

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on an oversight visit to KwaZulu-Natal Province: 25-27 August 2005

The Portfolio Committee undertook a visit to Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) to assess its state of readiness for the local government elections that was held earlier in the year. The Committee also wanted to understand the challenges faced by immigration officials and the Department of Home Affairs. The following Home Affairs Departments were visited: Etekwini Regional Office, Scottburgh District Office, Umgungunlovu Regional Office, Tongaat District Office, Mahathma Gundhi Hospital, Prince Msyiyeni Hospital, Durban International Airport and Durban Harbour.

The Members felt that the management structure in KZN should be looked at.

The Committee adopted the report with amendments.

Annual Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs from January – December 2005
The Chairperson gave Members a brief summary of the Committee’s annual report.

The report gives an overall account of activities performed by the Committee as well as the services rendered by the officials to Members. The Committee derives its authority from the Rules of the Assembly, Joint Rules of both houses and the Constitution of the Republic. The vision of the Committee is to see to the establishment of an efficient and effective Department of Home Affairs that provides quality, accessible services to all citizens.

At the end of the period under review, the Committee considered one international instrument, the 17^th Plenary Assembly Session of the Southern African Development (SADC) Forum report, which was held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in December 2004.

The Committee undertook seven oversight visits in the period under review. The Committee undertook three international visits.

A structured programme for financial oversight was developed and adopted. The Department tabled its Budgets and Strategic Plans for 2005/2006. Senior Departmental managers and Chief Executive Officers of the public entities were requested to appear before the Committee to explain the state of their finances and to answer questions from Members. The Committee then considered these reports and a report was compiled containing its findings and recommendations. The report of the Committee on financial oversight was tabled, discussed and adopted and then referred to the House.

The following annual reports were referred to the Committee for consideration: Independent Electoral Commission, Annual Report 2004/2005, Films and Publications Board Annual Report 2004/2005, Government Printing Works Annual Report 2004/2005 and the Department of Home Affairs Annual Report 2004/2005.

All Committees were asked to make budget cuts and the Committee submitted a budget request amounting to R935 000. The final budget allocated to the Committee for 2005/06 financial year was R506 000.

The Committee was supported by a staff compliment of five officials.

Numerous challenges that were uncovered were brought to the attention of the Department and entities, which helped to improve service delivery.

Mr M Sibande (ANC) commented that he was not satisfied that staff members’ names are put in a report when he did not know them.

Ms M Maunye (ANC) commented that when a researcher had been asked to assist a Member she had refused to do so.

The Chairperson replied that the Committee did not have a dedicated researcher.

The meeting was adjourned.