Department of Home Affairs Provincial Managers’ reports

Meeting report

Recent xenophobic attacks
The Chairperson begun by noting that Committee continuously raised the plight of asylum seekers and the poor conditions they faced. These conditions were a poor indication of how South Africa treated the refugees. It should be noted that the refugees tended to be poor Africans and the treatment they received from the Department of Home Affairs left much to be desired. The Committee would seek answers from the provincial managers on what they were doing in order to counter xenophobia.

Mr F Beukman (ANC) added that it was important for the Committee to reflect on the issues and the Department needed to develop a new approach on how the refugees should be treated. Various stakeholders had raised the problems with the Committee, during public hearings on the Refugee Amendment Bill. The Department needed to provide a detailed report on how it planned on tackling the matter. The ANC expressed their regret at the lives that had been lost, and urged all South Africans to be tolerant of each other. The Department needed to ensure that the refugees were treated in a decent and humane way.

Ms I Mars (IFP) endorsed Mr Beukman’s sentiments and stated that the public needed to be educated on the issue of refugees.

Ms H Weber (DA) stated that something needed to be done at the borders. There needed to be registration system for people coming in through the border. 

Mr K Morwamoche (ANC) asked for clarity on whether the Department had listened to the recommendations from the Auditor General on border control posts, and to the recommendations also of the Portfolio Committee on the refugee matter. If there was adequate border control, then the police would not have the problem of arresting immigrants. 

Mr W Skhosana (ANC) shared these sentiments and said that people needed to be treated in a far more humane way. South Africans need to be calm and work together.

The Chairperson said that the Committee needed to determine the way forward and the Department needed to come and give a briefing. It was clear that the police were not coping, and he believed that the army should perhaps be called in to assist. The xenophobic attacks that began in Gauteng had moved to Cape Town and spread to other parts of the country. It was clear that there were criminal elements involved.

Much of the unhappiness allegedly related to complaints that the illegal immigrants were taking jobs that should have been given to local South Africans. However, any firms that employed illegal immigrants were liable to be fined. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) needed to build enough capacity to monitor firms and also needed to build capacity to register immigrants. The Committee had stressed that there would be no refugee camps in the country and there needed to be a rigorous education campaign. The immigrants could not run away from the problems in Zimbabwe, and South Africans needed to support the initiatives that had been taken to assist with the Zimbabwe situation. The attacks seemed also to have had elements of tribalism, as many people were attacked for not speaking certain languages. The danger of such a crisis was that it had the potential to reverse all the gains that South Africa had made in the past 13 years. The Committee condemned the attacks, and called on the police and the army to address the situation.

Department of Home Affairs Provincial Department Reports:
Mpumalanga presentation
Mr R Sitha, Provincial Manager, Mpumalanga, in his presentation outlined the Department’s organisational structure, services provided to the population, mobile units, computerized hospitals, the vacancy rate, accommodation and equipment, challenges, and the achievements that had been made. He noted that there were a number of services that the Department offered to the population. These included passport applications, online birth registration, temporary residents permits, and the movement of people through the ports of entry. The Department was working with 14 different hospitals, which had been part of the online birth and death registration campaign. There had been 12 mobile trucks that had been received by the Department, and these trucks were allocated to districts where there were large rural areas, and which had no infrastructure for service points.

The Department faced many challenges pertaining to the office accommodation at various service points, and the Department of Public Works (DPW) was looking into addressing the challenges. Security remained a serious challenge, as funds were not available to procure services of private security companies. The presence of undocumented foreigners posed a serious challenge to the Department and the methods of deportation sometimes posed security risks, as the deportation vehicles were inadequate. Despite the challenges, the Department had made a number of achievements. These included the establishment of an outreach programme to schools held over a period of 8 months, and a basic computer training programme, overseen by State Information Technology Agency (SITA), in which 185 officials were trained. The Department was also holding monthly meetings with all stakeholders of the South African Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee (BCOCC) in order to discuss key challenges.


Discussion
The Chairperson appreciated the initiatives that had been made. He said that the issue of borders was still a challenge and there was no control of the border line.
 
Mr Skhosana asked the Department to outline the process in which a person would have to engage in, when opening up a port of entry. The Department should comment on the distances that people had to travel from their homes to a service point.

Ms Weber asked Mr Sitha to state how long he had been an Acting Manager.

Ms Weber asked for comment on how the Committee could assist the Department in addressing key challenges.

Ms Weber asked that clarity should be provided on the 80 000 undocumented citizens in Mpumalanga, and whether they were South African.

Ms Weber asked the Department whether it had advertised the outstanding vacant posts.

In relation to track and trace, she asked whether the Department would give people their track and trace number.

Ms Weber asked that the Department should comment on their refugee reception offices, and also comment on whether there was a pricelist in all provincial offices which outlined the costs of obtaining documentation. 

Ms Mars asked the Department whether they negotiated with traditional leaders, when it came to identifying people who were in desperate need of services.

Ms Mars asked, in relation to the mobile units, whether there were photographers on board. She asked for the total number of students who applied for IDs as a result of the DHA outreach programme to schools.

Mr Beukman asked whether any of the Departmental top officials had visited provincial offices in the past year.

Mr Beukman asked whether there were any counter-xenophobia initiatives and also whether there had been plans implemented in the filling of the vacant posts.

Ms F Mathibela (ANC) asked whether it was possible for citizens to apply for an ID in one province and pick up an ID in another province. The Department should comment on how long it took for children born in South Africa to non-South African parents, to become naturalised South Africans.

Mr K Morwamoche (ANC) asked the Department to comment on the highest salary level in which it could appoint individuals.

Mr Morwamoche also wanted clarity on the pricelists for documents and why certain offices did not list the documents that were required for the various applications. The Department should also comment on the duplication of documents. 

Mr P Mathebe (ANC) asked the Department to comment how many “marriages of convenience” they came across and why customary marriages were not captured.

Ms M Maunye (ANC) asked whether the Department had proper licenses for the mobile units and whether the BCOCC structure was constituted as amended. The Department should also comment on how it planned on improving relations with the South African Post Office (SAPO).

The Chairperson noted that nothing was said about the turnaround, and asked the Department to state how many times the Minister and the DG had come to visit the province.
 
Mr Sitha replied that according to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) it should not take 30 minutes to reach a DHA office. The Department was opening up service points in order to eliminate traveling time.

Mr Sitha informed members that he was appointed as Acting Provincial Manager in 2006, and although he applied for the position of provincial manager, when the post was advertised, he was informed by the Department that he did not qualify. The Department also interviewed other candidates for the position, but no one was appointed.

The Chairperson asked for clarity on what would happen to the post after the turnaround was completed.

Mr Sitha replied that Kwa Zulu Natal and Mpumalanga would be zoned into one region.

The Chairperson said it was sad for Mr Sitha to have be in an Acting position for such a long time, given the amount of good work that was being done.

Mr Sitha said that in relation to the filling of posts, there was still uncertainty at head office over the appointment of staff. 

Mr Sitha explained, in regard to the track and trace, there was a track and trace system in place. People were able to trace applications with their cell phones. The province did not have a refugee center, and the Department was looking for a suitable place to establish one.

Mr Sitha informed Members that the Department received a price list at the beginning of the financial year, and people were usually informed about how much an ID and other applications would cost.

Mr Sitha reported that in relation to the mobile units the Department worked with community leaders, who informed the community what forms and documentation they must bring along when making the various applications. The mobile unit trucks did not have photographing equipment and people were therefore encouraged to start up photography business ventures to serve the people at the time that the trucks would be in a place.

Mr Sitha said that around 8 000 students had applied for IDs in the various schools and there was an ID programme which was aimed at grade 12 learners.

Mr Sitha said that his provincial office had no initiatives relating to counter-xenophobia.
 
The Chairperson asked whether there were programmes aimed at educating the public on the plight of refugees.

Mr Sitha noted that the acting DDG did visit the province in order to assess the various challenges and the Minister, Deputy Minister and DG had all visited the province twice in the past year.

Mr Sitha said that in regard to foreign children born in South Africa, the policy adopted was if their parents did not qualify for citizenship, then they too did not qualify for citizenship. If there was another way of enabling them to acquire citizenship, then the process should be implemented.

The Department did educate people on what to bring to the offices, and the Department also received free slots on radio stations where people were informed on forms to bring for applications. He said that people tended to apply for fake death certificates in order to receive payouts. The numbers and comments on customary marriages would be forwarded to the committee. The marriages of conveniences were complex issues and the Department faced many challenges when it came to addressing the matter.

Ms Webber reminded members that if a South African wanted to marry a non South African, the immigrant had to have a residency permit for 5 years.

Mr Sitha admitted that the mobile unit licenses were still a problem and the Department was still addressing the matter.

The BCOCC structure was composed of various departments, which included Safety and Security and SARS.

Limpopo provincial office report
Mr Mpho Moloi, Limpopo Provincial Manager, in his presentation set out the Department’s organisational structure, services provided to the population, mobile units, computerised hospitals, the vacancy rate, accommodation and equipment, challenges, and the achievements that had been made. He noted that the Department provided mobile services to the communities in consultation with the community leaders and monthly meetings were held with the traditional leaders. Office security was still a challenge; but the Department managed to provide 24 hour security in all provincial and regional offices.  The Department had 16 mobile units, which were deployed to schools, hospitals, prisons and orphanages.

Discussion
Ms Webber asked whether the surveillance cameras innovation in Beit Bridge worked.

Mr Beukman said that the report was inadequate and did not address the many challenges that were faced by the province. The Department should comment on the conditions at the Musina repatriation centres, and what was being done to address the matter.

Mr Morwamoche added that the presentation did not adequately reflect on what was happening in the province. The organogram of the presentation also did not reflect various service points and clarity should be provided on why the presentation was so similar to other presentations. There were a lot of challenges in Limpopo, and one of the challenges pertained to how traditional leaders had their communities spread across different countries. The Department should therefore state how it worked with the leaders in order to address the matter.

Mr Moloi replied that the surveillance cameras were not at the border itself but in the offices of DHA and were intended for the staff working at the border office. There was much corruption going on, and the cameras were intended to curb corrupt activities. It was very difficult to comment on securing of the border line. There was a lot of bribery taking place at Beit Bridge and seven employees had been dismissed during the course of the year. There were, however, some individuals who worked tirelessly in the Department.

Mr Moloi apologised for not giving the challenges the prominence that they perhaps deserved.

The Department had undertaken some studies and one of the studies was initiated by the CSIR, which recommended that citizens should not have to walk more than 30 minutes to get to a service point. The Department had 6 operational mobile units and would ensure that the units got to the right people. In respect of asylum seekers, the Musina center was not intended to be a repatriation centre and was merely meant to be an ad-hoc measure to deal with the influx of people. The Department was speaking to the municipality and the Department of Health in order to determine an adequate solution. The Department apologised for the poor quality report but would like to state that this was as a result of the uncertainty of whether or not managers would appear in front of the Committee.

Northern Cape Presentation
Mr Abednigo Mvula, Acting Manager, Northern Cape DHA, in his presentation outlined some key indicators, state of office equipment and security, financial performance, staff accommodation, vacancy rates, and the Department’s relationship with the community. He noted that the Department received an allocation of R39 million and the Department had already spent 98% of the allocation. The reason for the under expenditure was as result of posts not filled. Some of the key challenges included the travelling times occasioned by vast distances and poor road conditions, which impacted on the turnaround times of various applications.  However despite the challenges, the Department managed to deliver 1278 IDs to 126 schools that had been targeted for the grade 12 ID campaign. The Department had eight fully operational units, out of the 12 that had been allocated to the province. He noted, in relation to deportations, that the three most frequent nationalities to be deported from the province over the last twelve months were from Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Mozambique. The Department engaged in regular communication with the local municipalities in order to improve service delivery.

Discussion
The Chairperson asked for an explanation on why the document presented was of such poor quality.

Mr Mvula apologized for a poor quality document and said that the Department e-mailed the document to the Committee. However the fonts differed which resulted in a poor quality document. The Committee should also note that the confirmation to attend parliament was given at a very late stage.

The Chairperson said that the Committee would take its time in dealing with the provincial managers, and would not pass the Department’s budget unless everything was sorted out.

Ms Weber asked Mr Mvula asked to state how long he had been in an Acting post and also provide clarity on broken vehicles and IT systems.

Mr Beukman asked whether any of the Departmental top officials had visited provincial offices and whether there were any anti-xenophobia programmes in place

Ms Mathibela (ANC) asked whether the Department came across incorrect names recorded in ID books for people. Clarity should be provided on why the statistics did not reflect immigration trends of other nationalities.

Mr Skhosana asked whether the Department faced challenges from foreigners coming from Namibia claming to be South Africans.  There was also a challenge in providing the Khoi and the San communities with identity books, and the Department should comment on this. He also requested further details on the role of the Department in border control.

The Chairperson asked Mr Mvula to state how often he visited the outlying provincial offices.  He asked for further information pertaining to the deportation of immigrants to be provided in writing. He asked who was providing the training of officials.

Mr Mvula replied that he had been acting in his post since July last year.  On the issue of the Mobile units, he indicated that the Free State had been lucky as they had an opportunity of appointing qualified drivers, but that, in view of the turnaround strategy, he had been assured that a driver would be provided for this province in June. He said, in relation to the visits, that the Minister and the Deputy Minister visited the province recently. The DG and DDG had also visited the province during the past year. The turnaround team often did often come to the province unannounced.

Mr Mvula agreed that a stronger approach was needed in respect of anti-xenophobic issues.

In relation to the ID and registration procedures, he noted that the Department discovered that the names of people sometimes did not match the date of birth. This was generally as a result of errors that had been made. He said that in relation to the deportations, he had merely highlighted those top three nationalities with the highest figures. The deportation rate to Botswana and Namibia was very low. The Department had not come across the issue of Namibians claiming to be South Africans. The Department experienced problems in registering the Khoi and the Xu individuals and were looking into ways of addressing the challenge.

The Chairperson said that the Department should provide the full statistics of nationalities with the highest migration rates

Northwest presentation
Mr Sulleiman Hancock, Provincial Manager, in his presentation outlined the vacancy rate, civic matters, office IT security, mobile units and the provincial budget allocation. He said that the Province had no Refugee Reception Centre.  The province had 11 mobile units, but six of these were not working. In terms of security there was no long-term security contract and all security posts have been advertised. Not all offices were fitted with alarm security systems and not all offices had reinforced filing cabinets and safes. Despite the challenges there were several achievements. There were also continuous community outreach programmes and the Department had formalised relationships with traditional leaders and had undertaken joint ID distribution campaigns with local government representatives.

Discussion
Ms Weber asked for clarity on how many people went through the borders and for comment on the mobile units. The Department should also comment on why biometric testing was not being used for the IT equipment.

The Chairperson sensed that there were too many similarities in the layout of the presentations and what was covered. He asked the managers to comment on whether there were any interventions from Head Office in preparing the reports.

Mr Hancock replied that the presentation was sent for verification and editing. He informed members that all the presentations were printed in Cape Town.

Mr Skhosana said asked for clarity on how the Department worked around the issue of cross border towns.

Mr Morwamoche noted that during an oversight to Klerksdorp, the Committee had discovered that the people controlling the mobile unit were nowhere to be found. He wanted to know more about this.

Mr Hancock replied that his office visited various offices in the province in order to find amicable solutions to the challenges. He admitted that in relation to the cross-border towns, some of the towns, such as Khutsong, still remained a challenge. However the Department was working with municipalities and other provinces in order to address the matter.  In relation to the comment on the mobile units, he said that in fact the Klerksdorp office was one of the best offices in the province. This issue was investigated, and it was decided that drivers must give detailed information on the use of the mobile units.

Ms Maunye asked for clarity on where the Department kept important documents where there was no safe on the premises.

Mr Hancock replied that officials were required to send daily reports on undelivered IDs to head office.  Officials were also required to securely store important documents, and people who did not comply were disciplined for negligence. The Department also appointed a security risk auditor, who performed an audit on where the possible risks lay.

The meeting was adjourned