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24 December 2019 - NW1717

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

With reference to the Home Affairs Office in West Street, Centurion, what (a) is the expiry date of the lease agreement for the office building, (b) plans are in place to move to a more suitable venue considering the extensive population in the catchment area and (c) measures have been put in place to provide affordable parking for clients since the Gautrain station was built?

Reply:

The mandate to manage immovable assets on behalf of government departments (including lease agreements) is with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).

a) The expiry date for the lease agreement for the Centurion office is 31 May 2024.

b) The Department of Home Affairs has requested DPWI, as part of the long term strategy, to source state owned building or build per DHA specifications.

c) The Department of Home Affairs does generally provide parking for clients in all its offices throughout the country. The parking that is leased is only for state vehicles.

END

24 December 2019 - NW1648

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Whether his department is committed to meeting the deadline for the international community to end statelessness by 2024 as set by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in October 2013; if not, why not; if so, what (a) steps has his department taken since 1 January 2014 to end statelessness in the Republic and (b) are the details of the plan going forward to end statelessness in the Republic by 2024?

Reply:

Yes. In its commitment to end statelessness the Department has addressed gaps in its immigration and civil registration laws to assist stateless persons to acquire enabling documentation confirming their status within the country. This accorded status enables stateless persons to legally reside within the country and to apply for citizenship.

Section 31 of the Immigration Act, Act no. 13 of 2002 as amended, provides for foreigners or a category of foreigners the rights of permanent residence for a specified or unspecified period when special circumstances exist which would justify such a decision.

The South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995 Act as amended, allows for acquisition of citizenship by birth, descent and naturalization. It also allows any person in the Republic and who is not a South African citizen by virtue of the provisions in the Act, to be granted citizenship by birth if s/he does not have the citizenship or nationality of any other country, or has no right to such citizenship or nationality and his or her birth was registered in the Republic in accordance with the Births and Deaths Registration Act.

Below are steps and plans put in place and implemented on an ongoing basis to address any challenges arising from statelessness.

A. Birth Registration

The Department, amongst other commitments, has implemented the Births and Deaths Registration Act. In terms of the Act, notice of birth must be given within 30 days of the birth occurence. This is aimed at ensuring that every child born is registered. In support of the above commitment, the Department embarked on the following programmes:

(i) Hospital connectivity:

Established birth registration offices in health facilities with maternity wards to facilitate the registration of birth and ease the burden of birth registration. This has resulted in the country seeing an increase in birth registration within the specified period. Conversely, we have begun to see a steady decrease of late registration of birth.

(ii) oreign births:

Notice of birth tendered at our offices of children born of parents who are non-South African citizens, are given DHA 19 (handwritten unabridged birth certificate for non-South African) in terms of the Regulations on the Registration of Births and Deaths, 2014.

South African citizens who live abroad can also register their newly-born children by completing relevant documents at the South African embassies and missions.

(iii) Late Registration of birth:

The Department has also opened a window for late registration of birth for persons who were not registered within the specified period. The long term plan is to eradicate late registration of birth.

B. Civil Registration and Vital Statistics

It must also be mentioned that South Africa is collaborating with neighbouring countries to promote civil registration through Civil Registration and Vital Statistics [CRVS] conferences, to ensure that all nationals of countries are registered on their respective national population registers.

END

24 December 2019 - NW1588

Profile picture: van der Merwe, Ms LL

van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(a) What number of applications for asylum seekers were received (i) in the period 1 January 1994 to 31 December 2014 and (ii) since 1 January 2015 remain unprocessed and (b) what is the country of origin of each asylum seeker?

Reply:

a) (i) The Department only has statistics from 1998 as published in its reports and the totals are as below:

Year

Total

1998

11135

1999

31592

2000

12226

2001

16325

2002

24187

2003

41741

2004

41369

2005

43289

2006

53361

2007

45637

2008

207206

2009

223324

2010

124336

2011

106904

2012

85058

2013

70010

2014

71914

Total

1 209 614

(ii) As at 30 September 2019 the total number of active and inactive cases for the periods indicated in (a) (i) above that remain unprocessed since 1 January 2015 is 812 472 (117 991 active cases and 694 481 inactive cases.

NB: Active cases refer to clients who regularly visit the office in relation to their application and inactive cases refer to clients who no longer visit the office to finalise their application.

b) The breakdown per country of origin for (a) (i) and (ii) above is:

Country

Inactive

Active

Afghanistan

41

8

Albania

1

0

Algeria

462

98

Angola

1071

5

Armenia

1

0

Australia

10

0

Azerbaijan

5

0

Bahamas

11

12

Bahrain

1

1

Bangladesh

13480

15979

Barbados

2

0

Belize

2

0

Benin

207

26

Bosnia

3

0

Botswana

41

2

Brazil

1

0

Brunei

1

0

Bulgaria

24

0

Burkina Faso

50

39

Burundi

3021

3588

Cambodia

3

0

Cameroon

3119

1000

Cape Verde

1

0

Central African Republic

10

6

Chad

11

4

Chile

23

0

China

13528

61

Colombia

2

1

Comoros

29

14

Congo

8761

7680

Croatia

1

0

Cuba

2

0

Czech Republic

1

0

Denmark

1

1

DRC

16204

22630

East Timor

5

7

Ecuadorian

1

0

Egypt

2076

62

Eritrea

375

382

Estonia

7

5

Ethiopia

11704

33737

Fiji

1

0

Gabon

44

6

Gambia

26

3

Germany

1

0

Ghana

8085

989

Guinea

95

37

Guinea Bissau

29

8

Guyana

1

0

Haiti

3

1

Ice Land

18

1

India

8871

2460

Indonesia

8

0

Iran

8

1

Iraq

12

1

Ireland

1

1

Israel

5

0

Italy

2

0

Ivory Coast

175

140

Jamaica

2

0

Jordan

40

6

Kenya

2014

807

Kiribati

1

0

Korea

1

0

Kuwaiti

1

0

Laos

1

0

Latvia

1

0

Lebanon

3

0

Lesotho

6744

31

Liberia

114

49

Libya

7

0

Macau

23

0

Macedonia

1

0

Madagascar

17

0

Malawi

40933

1294

Malaysia

5

2

Maldives

1

0

Mali

228

95

Mauritania

4

0

Mauritius

8

2

Mayotte

1

0

Mexico

1

0

Moldova

2

0

Monaco

1

0

Morocco

38

4

Mozambique

12842

300

Myanmar (Burma)

3

0

Namibia

13

0

Nepal

36

18

New Zealand

1

0

Nicaragua

2

0

Niger

5506

716

Nigeria

18502

3759

Niue

6

1

Pakistan

11672

5208

Palau

1

0

Palestine

26

5

Panama

1

0

Papua New Guinea

1

0

Philippines

18

0

Poland

4

0

Portugal

2

0

Principality of Andorra

5

0

Russia

2

0

Rwanda

666

676

Saint Kitts and Nevis

3

0

Saint Lucia

1

0

Saudi Arabia

1

0

Senegal

1163

433

Serbia

6

0

Sierra Leone

65

13

Slovenia

1

0

Solomon Islands

21

0

Somalia

9962

1587

Sri Lanka

109

11

Sudan

81

42

Suriname

1

1

Swaziland

196

10

Syria

8

1

Tajikistan

6

0

Tanzania

7740

422

Thailand

120

1

Togo

80

24

Tonga

1

0

Trinidad and Tobago

1

0

Tunisia

5

1

Turkey

7

1

Uganda

5993

3089

Ukraine

10

1

USA

5

1

Uzbekistan

2

0

Vietnam

2

0

Wallis and Futuna

1

0

Yemen

7

0

Zambia

2308

174

Zimbabwe

475390

10210

Total

694481

117991

Grand Total

812 472

END

13 December 2019 - NW1635

Profile picture: Gondwe, Dr M

Gondwe, Dr M to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

How will his department ensure the seamless implementation of its modernisation programme, which depends largely on reliable and uninterrupted network connectivity, in the face of continued and recurring challenges with its network connectivity?

Reply:

As per recent engagement with SITA, the Core and Distribution (Switching Centres) Networks have to be included in the proposed DHA Strategy and Investment Plan for Uninterrupted Networks. As the inclusion of the Core and Distribution Networks would not only affect DHA alone but the whole of Government, SITA has committed to host a workshop with groups of departments based on the pressing needs per identified department.

END

13 December 2019 - NW1695

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Sharif, Ms NK to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What measures is his department taking to assist the transgender community by speeding up the process of changing their sex designation legally?

Reply:

The Department has an Act (Act no. 49 of 2003) in place which administers issues relating to transgender. The Department further participates in committees coordinated by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development wherein gaps and other concerns identified by transgender communities are discussed and suggestions are made on how best transgender communities can be assisted.

Such meetings triggered a study tour for Government and Civil Society on transgender to learn how transgender community issues are managed in other countries. The Department has also embarked on awareness wherein all managers from its front offices were taken through transgender issues. This amongst others included the following:

- Contents of the Act and Regulations

- Process and requirements for transgender community

The Department has a dedicated unit in place that processes applications for transgender. The unit looks at the compliance and requirements as outlined in the Regulations and standard operating procedure prior to processing.

Successful applications which meet the requirements are processed within a period of 6 to 8 weeks. Non-compliance cases are responded to in a form of a letter to clients. The Department continues to hold dialogues with the transgender communities and is committed to improve on gaps identified either on the legislation or processes as part of continued development.

END

09 December 2019 - NW1365

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Brink, Mr C to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Whether his department did business with certain (a) persons, (b) companies and (c) trusts (names and details furnished in each case) (i) in each of the past five financial years and (ii) since 1 April 2019; if so, (aa) on what date(s) did his department do business with the specified persons, companies and trusts and (bb) what was the (aaa) nature and (bbb) monetary value of each business arrangement?

Reply:

(a)(i & ii) No.

(b)(i & ii) No.

(c)(i & ii) No.

END

09 December 2019 - NW1531

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Opperman, Ms G to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1)Since the Republic is in dire need of skills, why does his department not capture the qualifications of scarce skills of migrants and asylum seekers, to prevent skilled foreign nationals being lost to the informal sector; (2) Since the last xenophobic attacks in Bellville this year, what total number of immigrants have applied for voluntary repatriation?

Reply:

1. With regards to visa and permit applications made by foreigners applying for critical skills temporary residence visa, their qualifications are captured on the Departments Visa Adjudication System (VAS).

However, The Department does not currently capture the skills of asylum seeker applicants, but this is catered for in the revised DHA-1590 Form. The requirement of this information is going to assist the Department in the assessment of asylum seeker’s sustainability as is required in terms of Section 22 (6) of the Refugees Amendment Act (Act No 11 of 2017). The Amended Act will only come into force once the President has promulgated it.

2. The Department has received 4,057 requests for voluntary cancellations of asylum seeker permits in the period 1 January 2019 to 30 September 2019 country wide. The Department is not aware if any of these voluntary cancellations are related to the incidences that occurred a few months ago.

END

09 December 2019 - NW1586

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van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(a) What number of foreign nationals and/or asylum seekers are currently in possession of temporary asylum seeker permits, (b) from which countries are the specified persons, (c) what is the breakdown of numbers in each province, (d) how many times on average do applicants renew these permits and (e) what percentage of the specified permits have been active for longer than five years?

Reply:

a) The total number of active Section 22 permit holders (temporary asylum seeker permits) is 186 210 as at 30 June 2019.

b) The countries are as follows:

Country

Total

Afghanistan

16

Algeria

212

Angola

19

Australia

1

Bahamas

18

Bahrain

7

Bangladesh

27768

Barbados

2

Belarus

1

Benin

46

Botswana

4

Burkina Faso

44

Burundi

6874

Cambodia

1

Cameroon

1926

Central African Republic

7

Chad

5

China

95

Colombia

2

Comoros

21

Congo

8485

Denmark

2

Djibouti

1

DRC

35716

East Timor

7

Ecuadorian

1

Egypt

231

Eritrea

1026

Estonia

8

Ethiopia

50436

Gabon

15

Gambia

8

Germany

1

Ghana

1963

Guinea

54

Guinea Bissau

10

Haiti

1

Hungary

3

Ice Land

1

India

4348

Iran

3

Iraq

6

Ireland

1

Ivory Coast

180

Jamaica

2

Jordan

6

Kenya

1052

Kyrgyzstan

1

Lebanon

3

Lesotho

44

Liberia

74

Libya

3

Malawi

2060

Malaysia

2

Mali

128

Mauritania

3

Mauritius

2

Morocco

5

Mozambique

535

Myanmar (Burma)

1

Namibia

3

Nepal

93

Netherlands

1

Niger

772

Nigeria

6475

Niue

1

Pakistan

9409

Palestine

14

Russia

1

Rwanda

1047

Senegal

882

Serbia

1

Sierra Leone

18

Slovenia

1

Solomon Islands

2

Somalia

4339

Sri Lanka

16

Sudan

63

Suriname

1

Swaziland

20

Syria

19

Tanzania

598

Thailand

24

Togo

30

Tunisia

1

Turkey

56

Tuvalu

1

Uganda

4429

Ukraine

3

Uruguay

1

USA

1

USA (Commonwealth)

1

Venezuela

2

Wallis and Futuna

1

Yemen

17

Zambia

250

Zimbabwe

14120

Total

186210

c) Below is the breakdown per province based on the office where clients extend their permits:

Refuge Reception Office

Province

Total

Desmond Tutu

Gauteng

109069

Cape Town

Western Cape

30219

Durban

Kwa-Zulu Natal

30504

Musina

Limpopo

11830

Port Elizabeth

Eastern Cape

4588

Total

186210

d) Clients for the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs (SCRA) renew their permits on average every 3 months and clients for the Refugees Appeal Board (RAB) renew their permits on average every 6 months.

e) 60% of Section 22 permits have been active for more than 5 years based on the 2019-midyear statistics.

END

09 December 2019 - NW1561

Profile picture: Gondwe, Dr M

Gondwe, Dr M to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What measures has his department put in place to address the capacity challenges faced by the (a) Refugee Appeal Board and (b) Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs?

Reply:

(a & b) Both statutory bodies ie. Refugee Appeal Board (RAB) and the Standing Committee of Refugee Affairs (SCRA), have made several submissions to the Department to increase the members and administrative support staff in the past. In this regard the Department had taken urgent measures to maintain the operational capacity of the two statutory bodies. For example, the first measure the Department has taken is when the contracts of members and chairperson were ended the capacity was maintained by the urgent replacement of those by the Department. However, the greater increase in capacity for operational efficiency never materialised and based on the response to the submissions the increase was not possible due to budgetary constraints.

Notwithstanding the above, the Department had taken the following measures to ensure that the statutory bodies are capacitated to operate. In terms of RAB the steps include amendment of the Refugees Act and Regulations to provide more efficiency. A Bilateral Agreement with UNHCR was concluded in Geneva to appoint a consultant to develop a Backlog Implementation Plan (BL Plan) that would inform the capacity required for the backlogs in asylum appeals. Mrs Deborah Morris from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada started on 01 May 2019. The consultant submitted a BL Plan in August 2019 which sets out the capacity requirements and the cost implications, and the BL Plan had two options a four-year plan amounting to an estimated cost of R146,784,364 for cost of employment as well as a six-year plan amounting to R168,339,018. On 14 October 2019, the 4-year BL Plan was supported by EXCO.

The next immediate steps for the Department are to obtain funding for such a project. The first year of the project requires R34,660,500 to fund capacity and does not include operations. The financial constraints are on the Department. However, based on the end value of resolving the backlogs on other resources such as litigation, health, social assistance, correctional supervision etc. the financial constraints must be resolved and may be offset.

In terms of SCRA the Department has amended the Refugees Act and Regulations to provide for operational efficiency. However, due to the amendments to the Refugees Act and the Regulations, SCRA is required to perform additional tasks not covered before. The increase of tasks would have a domino effect on the requirements of additional capacity.

END

03 December 2019 - NW1252

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Khanyile, Ms AT to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1)What (a) is the current vacancy rate at his department’s offices in the Western Cape, (b) number of vacancies exist at each office and (c) is the job title of each vacancy in each case; (2) what number of immigration officers are currently employed at each of his department’s offices in the Western Cape; (3) how often do his department’s immigration officers travel to Mossel Bay?

Reply:

(1)(a-b) Currently no funded vacancies exist within the Western Cape. Due to austerity measures all posts become unfunded when they become vacant.

(1)(c) No funded vacancies exist.

(2) The Western Cape Province has 46 Immigration Officers in total distributed as follows:

  • George Office = 4 x Immigration Officers
  • Mosselbay Office = 1 x Immigration Officer,
  • Oudtshoorn Office = 3 x Immigration Officers,
  • Beaufort West Office = 2 x Immigration Officers,
  • Cape Town Office = 16 x Immigration Officers
  • Khayelithsa Office = 6 x Immigration Officers,
  • Caledon Office = 3 x Immigration Officers,
  • Paarl Office = 5 x Immigration Officers,
  • Worcester Office = 2 x Immigration Officers,
  • Malmesbury Office = 3 x Immigration Officers,
  • Vredendal Office = 1 x Immigration Officer

(3) The Department has one Immigration Officer stationed at the Mosselbay Office responsible to perform inspectorate functions. The Mosselbay Harbour is serviced from the Cape Town Port Control Office on a call out basis for clearances of crew.

END

03 December 2019 - NW1256

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Graham, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(a) Why has the gender of a certain person (name and details furnished) still not been amended from male to female after 18 months as per the request submitted on 6 April 2018 and (b) what (i) are the outstanding issues and (ii) is the envisaged time frame for resolution of this matter?

Reply:

a) The application process for amendments and rectifications is manual and non-automated thereby entails the manual retrieval of records prior to it being finalised. Applications in this regard are forwarded by front offices to head office and upon receipt thereof by the postal receipts unit, all such applications would then be sent to fingerprint verification unit and ultimately to the amendment section for final processing. Once the application is received at amendments, the birth records have to be traced from the archives based at various storage facilities. The turnaround time for the amendment process is eight (8) weeks. This is however subjected to the availability of record as there are instances where there is no trace of records which results in the applicant being notified to complete forms DHA 24 and DHA 288 for the re-construction of such records. The Department has approximately 286 million records in its possession and these records are paper based. Records have to be searched manually which causes further delays. However, the concerned persons’ matter was revisited and all issues have been addressed.

b) i) There are no outstanding issues.

ii) This matter was finalized and the gender was amended from male to female as at 21st October 2019. A new identity number of a female has subsequently been allocated.

END

03 December 2019 - NW1257

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Graham, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(a) What are the reasons that his department has failed to address the matter of Ms Emmarencia Stevens (details furnished) since she applied for her identity document in 2003, (b) who determined at that time that her identity number be marked for deletion, (c) what are the (i) additional requirements of his department that must be met in order to reinstate the identity number and (ii) time frames for the reinstatement after the requirements have been met?

Reply:

a) The application made in 2003 was rejected based on incorrect information submitted to the Department. The parents have since then never submitted any updated birth registration application with the correct information required.

b) The Head Office processing centre in Pretoria.

c) (i) A birth registration application that meets the Late Registration of Birth (LRB) application process requirements and standard operating procedures.

  (ii) Estimated time may take up to 180 days subjected to compliance with LRB processes.

END

03 December 2019 - NW1254

Profile picture: Khanyile, Ms AT

Khanyile, Ms AT to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What was the average turnaround time of his department’s services, including immigration and customs, pertaining to the (a) import and (b) export of goods at each port of entry in the Western Cape (i) in each of the past three years and (ii) since 1 January 2019?

Reply:

The mandate of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) relates to the management of migration involving processing of movements of people, and not goods. 

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is best suited to deal with matters of Customs and the import and export of goods.

END

02 December 2019 - NW1587

Profile picture: van der Merwe, Ms LL

van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What number of applications by foreign nationals and/or asylum seekers were (a) received in each of the past six years respectively and (b) were processed in each of the specified calendar years?

Reply:

a) The registered new arrivals for the past 6 years are as follows:

Year

Total

2013

70 010

2014

71 914

2015

62 159

2016

35 377

2017

24 174

2018

18 354

b) The following totals were processed up to first level of adjudication in the past 6 years.

2013

68 241

2014

75 733

2015

60 640

2016

41 241

2017

27 980

2018

18 104

It must be noted that Adjudication is not based on the year of NIIS registration, this will mean that cases not finalized in the year of registration may be processed in subsequent years, this may result in more cases processed up to first level of adjudication than newcomers registered

END

02 December 2019 - NW1628

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Clarke, Ms M to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What (a) are the reasons that no mobile units are currently in operational status within Gauteng and (b)(i) total number of mobile units are parked at the Germiston and Braamfontein regional offices and not being used and (ii) are the reasons that the mobile units are parked and not utilised; (2) (a) are the mobile units equipped to do applications for the new smart id cards, (b) what total number of field workers are allocated to the Gauteng Department of Home Affairs and what are their duties and (c) how often are the systems offline during a week in Gauteng. What extended hours are offered for the community? (3) What (a) are the details of the staff compliment and staff shortages in each Home Affairs office in Gauteng and (b) number of funded positions have not been filled; (4) On what date is it envisaged that the Boksburg Home Affairs offices will be completed and the department will move in?

Reply:

(1)(a) Gauteng has eleven (11) mobile units and all are not yet modernised. The mobile units have been decommissioned as they are still operating on the old manual system. Currently four (4) trucks have been refurbished and modernisation equipment is being installed and one (1) is equipped with live capture system and it is envisaged that it will be connected to the SITA/ MTN network by latest 29 November 2019.

(b)(i) Two (2) mobile units which are not modernised are currently parked at Germiston Office. There is no mobile unit parked at Braamfontein office, being the Provincial Office, as it is not an office to serve the public.

(b)(ii) Mobile units are in a process of being modernised and refurbished to meet the required and current operational model.

(2)(a) Yes.

(b) There are eight (8) mobile operators and six (6) support staff and their duties is to drive to schools, informal settlements and communities and assist them with applications for enabling documents.

(c) There are regular system interruptions in the Province but the Regional IT Managers are always on site to give support and ensure system stability. There are no extended hours worked by officials, other than on voluntary basis after hours and over weekends.

(3)(a) The current staff compliment is 1249 and the staff shortage is 124 in Gauteng.

(b) There is only one funded vacant position of a Regional IT Manager: Westrand that has not been filled.

(4)  June 2020 is envisaged for occupation, as currently the tender process to acquire the alternative accommodation is near completion.

END

02 December 2019 - NW1505

Profile picture: Singh, Mr N

Singh, Mr N to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1)Whether his department has offices in the townships of Umlazi and Chatsworth; if not, why not; if so, what services do they offer; (2) On what date does his department intend to have offices closer to the people in the specified townships in order to accelerate the delivery of services that his department provides?

Reply:

(1&2) Umlazi - Currently the Department has a small office at the Magistrate’s Court in Umlazi rendering the following services: Birth and Death registration, Amendments, Rectifications and Green Barcoded IDs; the Department is however looking at relocating the current Prospecton Medium Office to Umlazi and modernise the office. The Department is currently in negotiations with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, the Ethekwini metro Municipality to obtain suitable premises. A possible Public Works premises has been identified but it needs substantial renovations. We aim to have the new office in Umlazi fully functional and operational by the end of the 2021/22 financial year. The reason for these extended projections is that the building identified needs extensive renovations and there is a dependency on Public Works to finalise and move forward with the project.

Chatsworth – The Department has a Medium office situated in the Chatsworth area operating from the SASSA building in the centre of Chatsworth. We are already operational in this area with the following services: Birth, Marriages and Death registration, Amendments, Rectifications, and Green Barcoded IDs. The Department is planning to modernize the office in the next financial year (2020/21).

(2) Engagements are currently underway with the Provincial Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, as they are custodians, and have to authorise any renovations and reconfigurations of the building under their control.

END

02 December 2019 - NW1305

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Bergman, Mr D to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1) What number of asylum seekers who are currently registered in the Republic are alive and within the borders of the Republic; (2) Whether the Republic receives any monetary amount for each asylum seeker, if so, (a) from which organisation and (b) what amount in each case?

Reply:

1. The total number of asylum seekers actively extending their Section 22 permits as at 30 June 2019 were 186 210. By law all asylum seekers are expected to remain within the borders of South Africa.

2. The government does not receive any monetary amount for asylum seekers.

END

02 December 2019 - NW1253

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Khanyile, Mr S to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What is the (a) extent of the current backlog in the number of applications for South African visas and (b) breakdown of each category of visa applications for which a backlog exists?

Reply:

It will be premature to answer your question now. The Department will finalise a reconciliation report by 30 November 2019 after confirmation that all applicants received their outcomes.

In 2014, the Department introduced an online application system, Visa Adjudication System. The system had glitches in the beginning such as frequent offline and damaged electronic files. As such, some applications would appear as pending even though they were finalised manually. Hence, the numbers may mislead if the is no reconciliation.

END

02 December 2019 - NW1196

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

In light of the Foreign Mission Observation Report that was submitted by the Auditor-General to his Department in March 2018, highlighting risks that were identified, what are the details of the interventions that have been undertaken by his department on the (a) applications for passports and identify documents that have been outstanding for a long time, (b) applications dispatched from missions of which his department has no record, (c) training of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation staff who assist with the visa application process, (d) lack of access to virtual private server for mission officials to perform proper risk profile assessment, (e) applications received directly by missions, where Visa Facilitation Service (VFS) is available, and paid in cash creating a fraud risk, (f) overriding of Home Affairs officials by heads of missions, particularly where fraudulent documents are involved in the application, (g) allegations that Indian nationals are receiving free permits without supporting applications, (h) challenges of the citizens of the Republic struggling to get responses regarding their application status and (i) VFS passing fraudulent documents with applications put through his department?

Reply:

a) A working group has been established by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) respectively, aimed at reducing the turn-around time for applications lodged in foreign missions. This process will integrate the workflow of DIRCO and that of DHA into one workflow. This process will be concluded as soon as possible. Furthermore, there is a process underway to restructure and automate passport dispatch which will result in the current work team being deployed to augment the citizenship and passports applications administration.

b) Unfortunately there is currently no automated application process and track and trace system from the mission to DIRCO thereby the Department is not able to track any application until it arrives at the Department’s processing centre in Pretoria. This matter is the subject of discussion at the monthly meetings of the Working Group.

c) The training of officials is co-ordinated between the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO). The officials at the Missions have been trained and where there is a need for further training. DIRCO will indicate to the Department.

d) The Missions are connected to the Visa and Entry stop list on the electronic Visa Processing System which allows the Missions to do the risk profiling.

e) All visa applications in Lubumbashi are submitted through Visa Facilitation Services. Both the Mission and the Visa Facilitation Company are aware of this process.

f) The Department has not come across any overriding of decisions by officials which involves submission of fraudulent documents. However, the Head of the Mission constantly discusses matters of mutual interest as he/she is the Representative of the South African Government and takes responsibility for all functions of government in the Mission.

g) Indian nationals are exempted from paying visa processing fees but are however subject to the prescribed visa requirements.

h) The Department is able to provide status update on applications lodged in Foreign Missions only once the applications are in its possession. Also to speed up communication between the Department of Home Affairs and Foreign Missions, generic email addresses have been established for each Mission so that if there are non-complaint applications, messages are sent through emails to the relevant Mission informing them of such instead of sending the hard copy applications back to the Mission through the diplomatic bag. A checklist will also be submitted to DIRCO for onward transmission to Missions to assist with the quality assurance process. The above Working Group has also agreed to send one communication about turn-around times to reduce enquiries about the status of applications.

i) VFS performs front office functions of accepting applications on behalf of the Department, transmits such applications to the Mission and hand over outcomes to the clients. The adjudication process is performed by officials at the Missions. This includes verification of supporting documents.

END

22 November 2019 - NW1197

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1)With regard to litigation against his department, what was the contingent legal liability of his department in terms of (a) Core Business: Immigration & Civic Affairs, (b) labour disputes, (c) Finance and Supply Chain Management, including disputed tenders and contracts, and (d) other matters in the past two financial years; (2) what is the total number of legal proceedings against his department in respect of (a) immigration, (b) Asylum Seeker Management, (c) Civic Services, (d) summonses and (e) labour matters in the past two financial years; (3) what were the total legal fees spent by his department in the past two financial years?

Reply:

1(a)

Immigration: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – R10 890 433.84

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – R11 815 000.00

Civics: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – R56 000 000.00

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – R7 300 000.00

1(b)

Labour: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – R72, 478.886

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – R93, 858 592.59

1(c)

Tenders and Contracts: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – R0

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – R0

Other Matters: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – R894 378.00

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – R2 426 271.53

2(a)

Immigration: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – 508

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – 413

2(b)

Asylum Seekers / Refugee: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – 1 318

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – 1 935

2(c)

Civic Services: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – 487

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – 251

2(d)

Summons: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – 31

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – 43

2(e)

 

Labour: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – 38

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – 16

3

1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 – R85 159 025.38

1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – R7 373 119.3

END

22 November 2019 - NW1292

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1)With regard to High Court review applications initiated in respect of failed asylum claims, what number of (a) such High Court review applications have been initiated against (i) his department, (ii) him and/or (iii) the Director-General in each of the past 10 years and (b) the specified applications have been successful; (2) what amount has his department spent on litigation costs associated with (a) High Court review applications in respect of failed asylum seekers and (b) asylum seekers in general, including litigation related to High Court reviews, as well as any other refugee and asylum seeker rights litigation in each of the past 10 years?

Reply:

(1) The Department does not have a system in terms of which applications received are specifically categorized. Matters received are captured on a Word Document as and when they are received, and in most instances the cases cite both the Minister of Home Affairs and the Director-General of Home Affairs.

Based on the latest available information, 2493 matters were registered in 2017 and 3706 in 2018.

(2) The Department does not have a system in terms of which litigation costs for a specific category under Immigration Services can be determined. As of the 2018/2019 financial year, the Department put in place a system in terms of which the relevant Branches from where the litigation emanates have to pay the litigation invoices, i.e. Immigration Services, Civic Services and Human Resources Management and Development.

The total spend on litigation costs from the 2009/2010 financial year to the 2017/2018 financial year was R366,493,161.00

In 2018/2019, the total spend on litigation fees was as follows:

Immigration Services – R31,705,547.57

Civic Services – R3,697,484.45

Human Resources Management & Development – R3,477,323.15

Legal Services – R7,373,119.37

END

21 November 2019 - NW1310

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Opperman, Ms G to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Whether his department has put any measures in place to provide his department’s services, especially relating to the application and collection of new smart identity cards, to the residents in the (a) Karoo Highlands Local Municipality and (b) Hantam Local Municipality, who can currently only make use of his department’s offices in Calvinia; if not, in each case, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?

Reply:

(a & b) The Department has identified Louriesfontein in the Hantam Local Municipality for the high impact service delivery program using mobile trucks provided by Head Office (with emphasis on smart card application and collection). The Department has thus far planned the outreach program at Louriesfontein and an additional town (to be announced) in Karoo Highlands Local Municipality is also being considered for a similar high impact service delivery program.

END

30 October 2019 - NW1084

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

With regard to case number 77944/2016 in the matter between Y V Chisuse and four others and the Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs in the Gauteng Division of the High Court, (a) why did his department, more than two years after the court order to file answering papers within 20 days, not do so in spite of the court’s warning that such failure would permit the applicants to proceed unopposed with serious consequences to his department and (b) what steps have been taken against the person(s) in his department responsible for the negligent failure to respond in this case?

Reply:

The matter is presently before the Constitutional Court and therefore, I will not be able to answer the question.

23 October 2019 - NW981

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What are the details of the (a) progress of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) process for the appointment of a new service provider for visa services and (b)(i) steps that must be followed and (ii) deadline of each step to ensure that the PPP process for the appointment of a service provider is completed before the expiry date of the Visa Facilitation Service contract? NW2133E

Reply:

(a) Implementation of a PPP process is dependent on the completion of a preliminary market evaluation. This is to be undertaken through the publication of a Request for Information (RFI). Specifications for the RFI had to be drafted, and this was undertaken by an appointed Bid Specification Committee (BSC). The specifications were approved by the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) on 11th September 2019. On the same date the BAC also resolved to support the registration of the PPP with National Treasury (NT).

(b)(i) The resolution of the BAC is that the RFI specifications should be validated with the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) of NT. Validity means that the specifications are complete and suitable for public gazetting of the RFI.

(b)(ii) The process of registering a PPP is guided by National Treasury Regulation 16 (attached). This process and the timelines attached to it are outside the control of Home Affairs due to the activities that are required such as those mentioned in paragraph 16.2 to 16.8 of the Regulations.

The Department is therefore unable to confirm with certainty on whether the PPP process would have been finalised before the expiry of the current contract. All effort is being made to ensure that any activity that falls within the ambit of Home Affairs in the value chain of this process is finalised within a reasonable time.

END

21 October 2019 - NW1168

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Basson, Mr LJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Whether his department incurred any costs related to the (a) inauguration of the President of the Republic, Mr M C Ramaphosa, held in Pretoria on 25 May 2019 and (b) State of the Nation Address held in Cape Town on 20 June 2019; if so, in each case, (i) what costs were incurred and (ii) for what reason?

Reply:

(a) Yes

(a)(i) R2 462 005.00

(a)(ii) Overtime and accommodation for Immigration officials deployed at OR Tambo International Airport, Waterkloof Airport and selected land ports of entry to receive and process foreign heads of state and dignitaries attending the inauguration.

(b) Yes

(b)(i) R13 310.62

(b)(ii) Travel and accommodation cost of acting Director-General invited to the State of the Nation address as accounting officer of the Department.

END

21 October 2019 - NW535

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McGluwa, Mr JJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Whether his department has any monitoring systems in place to detect computer system crashes and/or failure; if not, why not; if so, will he furnish Mr J J McGluwa with a list including (a) where, (b) when and (c) what were the causes of each crash; (2) What are the remedial actions that his department is taking to address the ongoing failure of its system?

Reply:

1. The Department does not experience system crash/failure, but sometimes system unavailability due to certain causes like infrastructure issues, e.g power and network outages caused by various instances like cable theft/damages.

The Department has built in monitoring system that system experts use daily for monitoring utilization, queues, databases, and network infrastructure availability. The Department intends to implement Enterprise Operating Centre (EOC) which will fully monitor all departmental critical systems.

2. There have been initiatives through State Information Technology Agency (SITA) for Uninterrupted Network and Departmental ongoing system upgrades and projects.

 

END

21 October 2019 - NW1017

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McGluwa, Mr JJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(a) On what date was the contract to accommodate undocumented migrants at the Lindela Repatriation Centre for deportation signed, (b) with which company was the lease signed, (c) what is the duration of the contract, (d) what is the amount being charged for each month and (e) what total amount has been paid to date?

Reply:

(a) The contract was signed on 1 December 2015

(b) The company with which the contract was signed was Leading Prospects Trading 111 (Pty) Ltd trading as Lindela Repatriation Centre

(c)The contract duration is five years; the contract will end 30 Nov 2020.

(d) The monthly payment for the facility is R9, 544,119.49.

(e) The total amount from 1 Dec 2015 to 31 Aug 2019 is R411, 853, 165, 38

 

END

21 October 2019 - NW607

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Pambo, Mr V to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(a) What number of visa applications were denied in (i) 2017 and (ii) 2018 and (b) what was the country of origin of each applicant whose application was denied?

Reply:

(a)The number of visa’s rejected in (i) 2017 = 27 772 and (ii) 2018 = 36 452.

(b) A breakdown of the country of origin of each applicant whose application was denied for the respective years is attached as Annexure A.

 

 

END

07 October 2019 - NW801

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

With reference to the statement of the former Minister of Home Affairs wherein he announced that negotiations with certain countries (details furnished) were being finalised to conclude visa waiver agreements for ordinary passport holders, (a) what is the current status of visa waiver agreement negotiations in respect of certain countries (details furnished) and (b) by what date will the visa waiver agreements be finalised?

Reply:

(a) Visa waivers for ordinary passport holders were concluded with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, New Zealand, Cuba, Ghana, Sao Tome & Principe and Madagascar.

(b) Visa waivers with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and New Zealand were implemented on 15 August 2019 and a visa waiver with Madagascar was implemented on 27 August 2019. The Department is currently discussing implementation modalities with Cuba, Ghana and Sao Tome & Principe. The expected date of implementation is dependent on the implementation modalities.

In respect of the remaining countries, South Africa is engaging them on issues of security and immigration concerns, which include but not limited to introduction of Movement Control Systems; establishment, upgrade and strengthening of National Civil Registry Systems; introduction of Information Systems to ensure the integrity of travel documents and guard against fraudulent documents; as well as the introduction of Advanced Passenger Profiling Systems. Furthermore, the Department will issue long-term multiple entry visas for a period of three years to frequent travellers from these countries in order to ease movement of travellers into South Africa for tourism, business and academic purposes while continuing engagements with these countries.

END

07 October 2019 - NW982

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

In light of the roll-out of Smart Card Identity Documents (ID) to combat identity theft and fraudulent activities relating to driver licences, social grants, financial institutions and insurance companies, what measures are in place to provide for (a) indigent persons and (b) unemployed citizens who cannot afford the R140 card fee to replace their green ID with a Smart Card ID free of charge?

Reply:

(a) Currently the Department does not provide Smart ID Cards for free to indigent persons.

(b) Currently the Department does not provide Smart ID Cards for free to unemployed citizens.

However, approval was obtained through National Treasury to ensure that Smart ID Cards are issued free of charge to the elderly citizens who are 60 years and above,also to first time applicants who are 16 years and above.

END

07 October 2019 - NW902

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Whether he will engage with the executive mayors of metropolitan municipalities to conduct special operation raids to combat illegal immigration, as has been done recently in the City of Johannesburg; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

The Minister has engaged with municipal structures on matters of migration and will do so on a continuous basis.

Joint and special operations to combat illegal migration are planned and conducted by law enforcement agencies at national, provincial and local level through inter-governmental security structures. All metro municipalities are represented in local security, provincial and national structures such as the Provincial Joint Operational Structures (PROVJOINTS) and the National structure (NATJOINTS).

 

END

07 October 2019 - NW1018

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McGluwa, Mr JJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(a) Which charter flights and/or airline(s) are used by his department for deportation of undocumented migrants and (b) what amount is paid for each charter flight and/or airline in each month and (c) what total amount has been paid in respect of such deportations in the (i) 2018-19 financial year and (ii) since 1 April 2019?

Reply:

(a) The airlines which have been used for deportation since 1 April 2018 are the following:

1. Air Angola (Angola)

2. Ethiopian Airways (Burundi, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia)

3. Kenyan Airways (Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Zambia)

4. LAN Airline (Peru)

5. Lantam (Guyana)

6. Linhas Airways (Bolivia)

7. Rwanda Airline (Nigeria)

8. South African Airways (Columbia, Australia)

9. Turkish Airline (Algeria, Cape Verde, Venezuela)

(b) The monthly costs per airline from 1 April 2018 are the following: Please see attached Annexure A

(c) The total amount which has been paid in respect of such deportations is outlined below

(i) 2018-19 R33,070,629.90.

(ii) 1 April 2019 to 31 August 2019 R8, 956,713.41

Remarks: Reply: Approved / Not Approved

Thulani Mavuso Dr PA Motsoaledi, MP

A/Director-General Minister of Home Affairs

Date: Date:

07 October 2019 - NW1032

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Lotriet, Prof A to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1) What is the total number of voting districts where voters have to travel (a) between 20 to 30kms and (b) more than 30kms to reach a voting station; (2) In which provinces are the voting districts situated and (b) what total number of voters are affected?

Reply:

1(a) There are 603 voting districts in which the furthest point is more than 20 kilometres from the voting station established to serve the voting district.

(b) There are 363 voting districts in which the furthers point is more than 30 kilometres from the voting station established to serve the voting district.

It must be noted that among the key considerations in the establishment of voting districts is the time that it takes a voter to access a voting station. In this regard guidelines have been implemented to ensure that voters in rural areas do not travel more than 12, 5 kilometres to access a voting station. The norm for urban areas is 6, 5 kilometres. While there may be outliers, successive studies conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) among voters who had just voted on Election Day indicated that 97% of voters reported that they travelled less than 60 minutes to access a voting station. Similarly, 68% of voters reported that they travelled less than 15 minutes to access a voting station. The furtherst points from the voting station do not imply that there are settlements in all of those points and therefore voters. These coincide largely with voting districts in predominantly low population density areas that are rural in character and are also spatially vast.

2. The details of the voting districts are set out in the attached spread sheet attached as Annexure A and B.

END

07 October 2019 - NW920

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Phillips, Ms C to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Whether any raids/inspections have been carried out by immigration officials of his department in areas where violence is prevalent amongst illegal miners; if so, (a)(i) on what date and (ii) where were the raids carried out, (b) what total number of illegal immigrants (i) were arrested and (ii) have already been deported and (d) what is the average time frame between the arrest of an illegal immigrant and deportation?

Reply:

Any raids conducted against illegal miners (“Zama Zamas”) are led by specialised police units due to the dangers involved in illegal/ illicit mining and the heavily armed groups who oversee such activities. Illegal Mining or Illicit Mining relate to the mining of unwrought precious metals or uncut diamonds when such entity or person is not permitted, authorised and licensed to conduct such activity. The Department of Home Affairs will after the arrest of any suspects conduct verification of the immigration status.

From the available information, the record below should be noted.

(a)(i) Operations have been conducted for the period 1 April 2018 until 31 August 2019.

(a)(ii) Welkom

(b)(i) The number of illegal immigrants arrested resulted in 1275 successful prosecutions

(b)(ii) The number of illegal foreigners who were directly deported were 935 and those who were transferred to Lindela Holding Facility for deportation were 957.

(b)(iii) The average time for a person to be arrested and deported is

determined by how quickly the embassy/mission of the deportees issues their emergency travel documents. On average it takes up to 30 days.

 

END

07 October 2019 - NW909

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Khanyile, Ms AT to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1) What total number of (a) hospitals in the Republic have birth registration systems and (b) birth registration systems are fully operational; (2) What total number of births were registered in the period 01 January 2018 to 01 January 2019 (3) Whether any plans have been put in place to accommodate different cultural practices surrounding births which are often the cause of late birth registrations; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

  1. (a) 391 health facilities.

(b) 165 health facilities.

2. 810 638 births registered within the period 01 January 2018 to 01 January 2019.

3. In terms of the Births and Deaths Registration Amendment Act No.18 of 2010, parents shall within 30 days after the birth of such child, give notice thereof in the prescribed manner, and in compliance with the specified requirements. There is however provision made as follows:

  • Those that fail to register birth within 30 days due to issues of culture can still register their birth through the late registration of birth process.
  • The Department has an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Health (DoH) to address concerns relating to birth registrations. The Department of Health through its healthcare facilities provides a list of mothers who are discharged prior to registering birth of their new-born children. The Departments of Home Affairs officials thereafter, utilises the list for follow up and register their births as a result.

 

END

25 September 2019 - NW803

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Khanyile, Ms AT to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Whether he will take any steps to re-allocate his department’s personnel from offices that require less support to offices that require more support, in order to fight long queues and capacitate offices requiring more assistance; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

The Department is in the process of re-allocating personnel to critical front line service delivery areas, relevant to Civic services. To this extent, front line service delivery areas are envisaged to be capacitated by an additional 349 personnel (on a permanent and temporarily basis, subject to the availability of funds), by 31 March 2020.

Within the Immigration services environment too, the Department is looking at the possibility of deploying additional personnel to identified Missions abroad, within the current financial year.

 

END

25 September 2019 - NW797

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Tito, Ms LF to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1)(a) What amount was spent on advertising by (i) his department and (ii) state-owned entities reporting to him in the (aa) 2016-17, (bb) 2017-18 and (cc) 2018-19 financial years; (2) what amount of the total expenditure incurred by (a) his department and (b) state-owned entities reporting to him went to (i) each specified black-owned media company and (ii) outdoor advertising in each specified financial year and (c) on outdoor advertising by his department and state-owned entities reporting to him went to each black-owned media company in each specified financial year?

Reply:

Department of Home Affairs

1. (aa) For financial year 2016/17 – R 1,449,947.84

(bb) Financial year 2017/18 – R 6,833,958.28

(cc) Financial year 2018/19 – R 3,380,574.43

(2) (a) The department total expenditure incurred R 3,095,535.24

(i) Financial year (2016/17)

YFM – R 50,997.33

Financial year (2017/18)

Power FM – R86,564.00

YFM – R 507,542.82

TisoBlackstar - R 37,121.00

Financial year (2018/19)

TisoBackstar R557,706.99

(ii) Financial year (2016/17)

None

Financial year (2017/18)

Airport screens – R 255,018.00

Stadium advertising – R 570,000.00

Financial year (2018/19)

Airport screens – R 449,650.00

Digital Screens in major routes across the country – R 172,500.00

Stadium advertising – R 494,999.10

(c) None.

Government Printing Works

(1) (a) (ii) (aa) none

(a) (ii) (bb) none

(a) (ii) (cc) none

(2) (b) (i) none

(b) (ii) none

(c) (aa) none

(c) (bb) none

(c) (cc) none

Electoral Commission

(1)(a) The amount spent in each of the financial years is as follows:

   

(aa)

(bb)

(cc)

   

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

   

36 531 210.99

75 840 626.44

45 418 600.53

         

(2)(b)(i)

 

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

 

BANZOGENIX

-

-

2 400.00

 

EASTERN CAPE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM

71 941.89

138 161.04

4 500.00

 

GIJIMA PRINTERS

-

-

20 374.50

 

IZETHEMBISO ZENKOSI TRADING ENTERPRISE

-

-

1 995.00

 

MADIBA PROMOTIONS

-

-

21 355.50

 

MMABATHO FM 107.7 MHZ

-

1 998.00

3 996.00

 

SIPHUMELELE LIYA TRADING

-

2 240.00

1 944.00

 

SIX FINGAZ MEDIA

-

-

8 974 970.03

 

TUBATSE PROGRESSIVE COMMUNITY RADIO

-

-

4 200.00

 

ALMEBYTE T/A DARKSTAR

579 315.38

10 748 872.67

-

 

EMERGING SEARCH CONSULTANTS

-

45 000.00

-

 

KARMA COMMUNITY PROJECTS

-

27 360.00

-

 

LEKOA MULTI-MEDIA COMMUNICATION DE

-

24 000.00

-

 

MANTUNTU TRADING ENTERPRISE

-

2 976.00

-

 

MAPUTALAND COMMUNITY RADIO

-

6 000.00

-

 

PHELI FM

-

10 000.00

-

 

RADIO 786

8 000.00

-

-

 

THAMZO TRADING

-

5 180.00

-

 

WATERBERG WELFARE SOCIETY

-

4 810.80

-

 

ZEBEDIELA COMMUNITY RADIO

-

7 990.00

-

 

RADIO KC

8 000.00

-

-

 

SIBABALWE PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS

112 450.00

-

-

 

THE MEDIA SHOP

34 138 762.96

-

-

 

THE PHONEBOOK COMPANY

5 210.53

-

-

 

TOTAL ADVERTISING EXPENDITURE

34 923 680.76

11 024 588.51

9 035 735.03

   

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

(2)(b)(ii)

 

2 311 077.91

10 062 873.02

6 463 353.48

(2)(c)

 

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

 

ALMEBYTE T/A DARKSTAR

 

2 397 835.04

 

 

SIX FINGAZ MEDIA

 

 

59 202.00

 

THE MEDIA SHOP

2 311 078.00

 

 

   

2 311 078.00

2 397 835.04

59 202.00

 

END

20 September 2019 - NW833

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McGluwa, Mr JJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1)Whether he has been informed of the various reports stating that the National Treasury is seeking an initial budget allocation cut to his department of 5% for the 2020-21 financial year, followed by a 6% and 7% cut for the following two financial years; if so, (2) whether the financial cuts will affect the provision of essential services to South Africans by his department; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether the financial cuts will result in (a) any jobs losses and/or (ii) the closure of any Home Affairs offices in the Republic; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

1. Yes, the requirement to present compulsory budget baseline reduction scenarios is set out in the MTEF Technical Guidelines 2020 issued by National Treasury in June 2019. In addition, the CFO presented the compulsory budget baseline reduction scenarios at the Departmental priority setting workshop held on 13 and 14 August 2019.

2. It is logical that when there are budget cuts, it will impact on the capacity to certain services.

(3)(a-b) Budget cuts will have a negative impact on the filling of some posts, but we are not envisioning closure of any Home Affairs office.

 

END

17 September 2019 - NW833

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McGluwa, Mr JJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(1)Whether he has been informed of the various reports stating that the National Treasury is seeking an initial budget allocation cut to his department of 5% for the 2020-21 financial year, followed by a 6% and 7% cut for the following two financial years; if so, (2) whether the financial cuts will affect the provision of essential services to South Africans by his department; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether the financial cuts will result in (a) any jobs losses and/or (ii) the closure of any Home Affairs offices in the Republic; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

1. Yes, the requirement to present compulsory budget baseline reduction scenarios is set out in the MTEF Technical Guidelines 2020 issued by National Treasury in June 2019. In addition, the CFO presented the compulsory budget baseline reduction scenarios at the Departmental priority setting workshop held on 13 and 14 August 2019.

2. It is logical that when there are budget cuts, it will impact on the capacity to certain services.

(3)(a-b) Budget cuts will have a negative impact on the filling of some posts, but we are not envisioning closure of any Home Affairs office.

 

END

17 September 2019 - NW832

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McGluwa, Mr JJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Whether, with reference to providing protection for refugees, taking into consideration the first safe country principle for refugees to first sought asylum between transit routes, his department has any formal bilateral agreements between transit route countries and destination countries in order for refugees to first seek asylum in the transit country; if not, (a) will he consider such decision and (b) by what date; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

No, the Department has no formal bilateral agreement/s with transit route countries and countries of destination on application of the first country of asylum principle. As an international practice, any person may request asylum in any country outside his/her own country. The first country principle as practiced in international law requires that:

(i) an asylum seeker should have been recognised in that first country of asylum as a refugee and he or she can still avail himself or herself of that protection; or

(ii) he or she otherwise enjoys sufficient protection in that country, including benefiting from the principle of non-refoulement.

(a-b) No, the Department will not consider such decision, because management of asylum and refugees in South Africa is centred on the cardinal principle of non-refoulement; and inclusion before exclusion, at the core of which is the 1951 UN Convention and its 1967 Protocol. This means that South Africa has an international obligation to receive asylum applicants who may have transited a number of countries before arrival in South Africa.

Furthermore, South Africa will in terms of Section 2 (a) – (b) of the Refugee Act, Act No. 130 of 1998, not return such applicants to a country where:

(i) they may be subjected to persecution on account of his or her race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group; and or

(ii) their life, physical safety or freedom would be threatened on account of external aggression, occupation, foreign domination or other events seriously disturbing or disrupting public order in either part or the whole of that country.

 

END

 

03 September 2019 - NW234

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De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

With regard to tourist visas issued by his department in the past three years, (a) what number of visas have been issued in each month, (b) from where were the specified visas issued, (c) what is the average turnaround time for issuing a visa, (d) what is being done to improve the turnaround time, (e) what processes are in place to ensure that turnaround times are improved and (f) what are the time frames, timelines and deadlines in this regard?

Reply:

(a-b) From available information a total of 1 068 227 Visitors Visas were issued in South African Missions abroad from 2017 to June 2019 as follows.

Year

2017

2018

2019

Number of Visas

451 855

403 164

213 208

A breakdown of the number of Visitors Visas issued by each South African Mission abroad for the respective years is attached as Annexure A. The data for the following countries are being verified for correctness and accuracy hence it is not on the list attached:

Country

Mission

Algeria

Algiers

Burundi

Bujumbura

Fiji

Suva

Finland

Helsinki

Japan

Tokyo

Madagascar

Antanarivo

Country

Mission

Mauritius

Port Louis

Morocco

Rabat

Netherlands

The Hague

Singapore

Singapore

Spain

Madrid

Sri Lanka

Colombo

Sudan

Juba

Sudan

Khartoum

Switzerland

Berne

Thailand

Bangkok

Tunisia

Tunis

Ukraine

Kiev

Vietnam

Hanoi

(c) The general processing period for the Visitor’s Visas is five (5) Working days.

(d) Where the Mission experiences high volumes and staffing challenges the Department deploys additional staff to support on a short term basis subject to availability of funds.

(e) The turnaround times are maintained and the Department is currently introducing the eVisa which is at testing phase.

(f) The eVisa will be piloted in October 2019 and depending on the results of the pilot, the eVisa should be operational in the 2020/2021. financial year.

END

03 September 2019 - NW462

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What (a) is the total number of his department’s mobile units in the Republic, (b) number of these mobile units are in operation, (c) geographic areas do the functional mobile units cover, (d) geographic areas are the non-functional mobile units supposed to cover and (e) was the average turnaround time in the last annual reporting cycle to repair faulty mobile units and return them to operation?

Reply:

a) The total number of mobile units in the country is 155 (hundred and fifty five). The number is made up of both the old 114 (hundred and fourteen) mobile units procured between 2005 and 2007 and the new 41 (forty one) mobile units procured between 2017 and 2019 respectively.

b) The total number of functional mobile units in the department is 100 (one hundred). The one hundred comprises of the old 59 (fifty nine) and new 41 (forty one) units. A total of 55 (fifty five) old mobile units are mechanically and economically irreparable, and as such, are earmarked for disposal.

c) The department's mobile units are utilised to complement the existing footprint. The units cover the deep rural and hard to reach areas where the department does not have sufficient coverage in all nine provinces.

d) All mobile units are strategically deployed to cover all rural and hard to reach areas in all 9 (nine) provinces in the republic.

e) The department did not repair any of the mobile units with mechanical problems as those 55 (fifty five) units had reached their end of life term and were economically irreparable. The distribution plan for the 100 (one hundred) units is as follows:

Eastern Cape 14, Free State 9, Gauteng 9, Kwa Zulu Natal 14, Limpopo 12, Mpumalanga 10, Northern Cape 10, North West 9 and Western Cape 10, Special Projects 3.

END

27 August 2019 - NW380

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What (a) number of asylum seekers have currently been awaiting an interview with a refugee status determination officer (RSDO) for more than (i) 30 days and (ii) 90 days and (b) is the average waiting time, in number of days, between the time that an application for an appointment with an RSDO is lodged until the interview takes place for all current asylum seeker applications?

Reply:

a) (i) The total number of asylum seekers registered on the Departmental system with an active section 22 permit waiting an interview with the RSDO for more than 30 days but less than 90 days is 516.

(ii) The total number of asylum seekers with an active section 22 permit awaiting an interview with the RSDO for more than 90 days is 2503.

b) The average waiting time for current asylum seeker applications is 30 days or less for an interview. It must be noted the Department can only provide accurate information on the average waiting period for cases registered on the National Immigration Information System (NISS) as from 1 January 2018 due to the enhancements done on the NIIS at that time.

 

END

26 August 2019 - NW349

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van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What were the main reasons cited in the applications of a certain number of individuals (details furnished) from (a) Bangladesh, (b) Pakistan, (c) India, (d) Malawi, (e) Ghana, (f) Kenya, (g) Mozambique, (h) Tanzania, (i) Zambia and (j) Thailand that led to them being granted asylum in the Republic?

Reply:

The table below indicates the main reasons for cases granted asylum from the mentioned countries as recorded on the National Immigration Information System (NIIS): -

Country

Reasons for granting

A) Bangladesh

  • Political persecution. Conflict between the ruling party and the various political parties.

b) Pakistan

  • Political instability on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
  • Religious grounds, Ahmadiyya group not recognised by the Pakistani Government.
  • Clashes between Sunni and Shia.
  • Tribal conflict between the Taliban and smaller Islamic groups.

 

 

c) India

  • Religious clashes between Hindu and Muslim.

d) Malawi

  • Political reasons, conflict between the ruling party MCP and the oppositional party UDF.

e) Ghana

  • Inter-tribal clashes.
  • Female genitalia mutilation.
  • Forced Marriages.

f) Kenya

  • Political Instability (aftermath of 2007/08 elections).
  • Persecution on grounds of sexual orientation (LGBTI).
  • Persecution of the banned Mungiki ethnic group.

g) Mozambique

  • Although these cases are reflected on NIIS, the claims could not be confirmed. One case has already been withdrawn by the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs and the other two have been inactive since 2011 and 2012 respectively. Their claims will be related to the old refugee processes. The Department is currently in a process of closing these files.

 

h) Tanzania

  • Family joining with spouse (from a different nationality) who is already a recognized refugee.
  • Albino victimization.
  • Conflict between Zanzibar and Tanzania.

i) Zambia

  • Family joining with spouse (from a different nationality) who is already a recognized refugee.
  • Political Reasons.

 

j) Thailand

  • No applications were granted asylum.

Note: According to the NIIS only a total of 1 322 cases were granted asylum (Refugee Status) from the countries indicated above.

END

21 August 2019 - NW362

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Chetty, Mr M to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What (a) number of official international trips is (i) he and (ii) his deputy planning to undertake in the 2019-22 medium term expenditure framework, (b) will the (i) destination, (ii) date, (iii) purpose and (iv) number of persons who will travel with the delegation be and (c) is the detailed breakdown of the expected cost of (i) flights, (ii) accommodation and (iii) any other expenses in each case?

Reply:

(a) (i) the annual multilateral engagements that may be attended at Ministerial or Deputy Ministerial level are:

  • African Union (AU) Summit
  • Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) Ministerial Conference
  • SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ (MCO) meeting on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation
  • Executive Committee meeting of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees’ (UNHCR) Programme

(ii) annual or biannual bilateral meetings with the neighbouring counterparts

(iii) bilateral meetings with other international counterparts and other multilateral meetings are attended if relevant to the mandate of Home Affairs

(iv) international workshops, seminars, conferences, etc will be attended if relevant to the mandate of Home Affairs

AU Summit

(b) (i) Ethiopia

(ii) Dates to be announced by the AU

(iii) Migration related

(iv) Support staff, and experts on issues tabled for discussion

 

MIDSA Ministerial Conference

(i) SADC member state – rotational basis

(ii) Dates to be announced by the IOM and hosting country

(iii) Migration related

(iv) Support staff, and experts on issues tabled for discussion

SADC MCO

(i) SADC member state – rotational basis

(ii) Dates to be announced by SADC Secretariat and hosting country

(iii) Migration and civics related

(iv) Support staff, and experts on issues tabled for discussion

 

UNHCR EXCOM

(i) Switzerland

(ii) Dates to be announced by the UNHCR

(iii) Asylum seeker and refugee related

(iv) Support staff, and experts on issues tabled for discussion

All other engagements as listed above

(i) Bilaterals take place in host’s country and for remaining engagements, the host will announce.

(ii) To be announced by hosts

(iii) Migration and / or civics related

(iv) Support staff, and experts on issues tabled for discussion

(c) Costs cannot be pre – determined as dependent on duration of engagement, available flights, accommodation and ground transport, size of delegation, etc.

END

13 August 2019 - NW277

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Seitlholo, Mr IS to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What (a) total amount is budgeted for his private office for the 2019-20 financial year and (b) was the (i) total remuneration, (ii) salary level, (iii) job title, (iv) qualification and (v) job description of each employee appointed in his private office since 1 May 2019?

Reply:

(a)    Total amount budgeted for the private office of the Minister for the 2019/20 financial year as on 1 April 2019:

  

2019/20 FY (1 APRIL 2019)

 

R'000

Minister’s Compensation of Employees (CoE)

2 529

Minister’s Office CoE

10 725

Ministry Goods and Services

9 536

Grand Total

22 790

(b)(i)    Total remuneration Ministry budget for 2019/20 = R13, 254 million (R2, 529 million + R10, 725 million).

(b)(ii-v) The table below details employees appointed since I took office in May 2019.

(b)(i)

(b)(ii)

(b)(iii)

(b)(iv)

(b)(v)

TOTAL ANNUAL REMUNERATION

SALARY LEVEL

POST JOB TITLE DESCRIPTION

QUALIFICATION

JOB DESCRIPTION

R1 189 338 PER ANNUM PLUS R7035.00 PER MONTH ROLE-PLAYING ALLOWANCE

14

CHIEF OF STAFF: MINISTRY

POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT (CORPORATE GOVERNANCE)

Annexure A

R1 035 450 PER ANNUM

13

PARLIAMENTARY AND CABINET SUPPORT

B EDUCATION

Annexure B

R936 177 PER ANNUM

11

CABINET AND PARLIAMENTARY OFFICER

B ADMINISTRATION

Annexure C

R178 965 PER ANNUM PLUS R1600.00 PER MONTH ROLE-PLAYING ALLOWANCE

5

DRIVER/MESSENGER

SENIOR CERTIFICATE

Annexure D

END

05 August 2019 - NW379

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What (a) is the planned date for the reopening of the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office (CTRRO) and (b)(i) steps have been completed to date to reopen the CTRRO, (ii) delays have caused his department to miss the court deadline, (iii) remaining steps need to be taken to reopen the CTRRO and (iv) interim measures have been put in place to allow new asylum seekers arriving in Cape Town to apply for asylum?

Reply:

(a) The date for the re-opening of the CTRRO is dependent on the finalisation of the lease agreement with the prospective landlord and the related project plan for refurbishment.

(b)(i) Department of Public Works (DPW) and Department of Home Affairs (DHA) have signed the lease contract, awaiting same concurrence with the prospective landlord.

(b)(ii) DPW procurement requirements in acquiring office accommodation have caused DHA to miss the court deadline.

(b)(iii) The concurrence of the prospective landlord on the agreement and the development of the project plan for new office accommodation.

(b)(iv) Applicants who are dependants of existing clients are allowed to apply Cape Town, whilst rest of new applicants are encouraged to apply as they enter the Republic in Refugee Offices closer to northern ports of entries as majority of applicants enter through those ports.

END

05 August 2019 - NW254

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McGluwa, Mr JJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

Whether he has been informed of any serious delays in the application of SA passports and other documentation at the Office for the Department of Home Affairs at consulates abroad; if so, what measures (a) have been put in place to reduce the delays and (b) will be put in place to ensure that his department and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation work together effectively to resolve the issues?

Reply:

a) The turnaround time for applications abroad is up to six (6) months as the Department (DHA) has a co-dependency on involvement of third parties, i.e. Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) for receipt inland and dispatching abroad of government documents including passport applications, through diplomatic bags which in itself is a controlled procedure that DIRCO administrates for all Government Departments.

The application process is thereby manual and non-automated, and entails the verification of citizenship which is a separately managed process and over and above, the fingerprint verification process should also transpire which may result in further delays, should the application be rejected due to the poor quality of fingerprints taken abroad.

In order to address the situation, the responsible support and line function units of DHA and DIRCO: Consular Services have created a stakeholder forum to find efficient solutions and redress the situation. This entails specific officials being assigned to receive lists of outstanding applications and then to liaise with the line function officials for processing and feedback to the Diplomatic Missions abroad.

b) The Department is looking into a permanent solution through its Modernisation Programme to ensure that applications made abroad or domestically can be captured and transferred electronically. This would substantially reduce dependency on manual, time consuming processes presently being applied.

END

 

 

05 August 2019 - NW317

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McGluwa, Mr JJ to ask the Mr J J Mcgluva (DA)) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

What plans does he have in place to address the (a) insufficient capacity at the Department of Home Affairs Contact Centre, (b) continued inability of the State Information Technology Agency that has led to endless network and power down times including excessive long lines and (c) issuing of identity documents on weekends?

Reply:

(a) Due to budget cuts, the Department has not been in a position to fill vacant posts. The Department is, however, in the process of prioritising the filling of critical positions, which when filled, will aid in the reduction of interaction volumes in the Contact Centre.

The implementation of the modernisation strategies at both Front and Back Offices will further reduce Contact Centre volumes, thereby improving efficiency.

To ensure that the current resources are utilised efficiently, the Department reviewed the performance standards and introduced performance measures that will guarantee that production time is utilised optimally. Coupled with this, we enhanced the Contact Centre systems to allow visibility into staff daily activities. This assists management to better manage productivity.

To further increase accessibility to the public, the Contact Centre operates on a shift system, with the working hours being 07h30 to 17h30 on week days and 08h00 to 12h00 on Saturdays.

b) A comprehensive assessment was done by SITA in the last financial year and produced a new network architecture and implementation plan which will provide a fully redundant and high availability network throughout the DHA footprint. DHA has also rolled out power generators in modernised offices to provide alternative power supply during outages or load shedding.

c) The Department is addressing the issuing of identity documents on weekends through its various heads of offices that on voluntary basis, arrange with communities to open offices on weekends as well as during holidays. However, this is not sustainable and as it depends on the volunteerism.

The Department engaged organised labour on working hours at the Departmental Bargaining Chamber with a view to ensure service delivery is not affected and that our offices open on weekends. Work performance over weekends however requires payment of overtime as the staff is not prepared to work ‘voluntarily’ after completing their 40-hour work week, i.e. Mondays to Fridays.

In order to normalise the environment and to ensure our offices open on Saturdays or weekends, the Department is to re-open negotiations with organised labour as well as the Department of Public Service Administration (DPSA), to allow work on weekends through the introduction of a shift system or alternatively performance of remunerated overtime. This will assist clients who find themselves not able to visit DHA offices during the week, to access services on weekends. However due to the current financial constraints in the Department, it is currently not feasible to pay for the performance of remunerated overtime over weekends.

The Department will however explore possibilities of using alternative channels for collection of enabling documents over weekends.

END

05 August 2019 - NW381

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Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs

(a) What actions were taken by his department to provide services in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape since it stopped sending mobile units to those areas, (b) why do mobile units no longer operate in these areas and (c) what steps will his department take to address this issue as a matter of urgency?

Reply:

a) The Department adopted a multi-channel strategy in order to meet the service delivery needs of the citizens. This includes physical offices, mobile units and online services. The Department also has partnerships with the Department of Health for registration of birth in the hospitals. In the Eastern Cape rural areas, the Department has a total of 43 offices of which 15 are modernised to issue Smart ID cards and new passports. Over and above the 43 offices, the Department has service points in 37 health facilities for registration of birth and death located in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The mobile units serve as a complementary channel not as the main channel.

b) The mobile units are not operating nationwide, not just in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The reason for halting of the mobile units programmes is that, with the old mobile fleet being over seven (7) years on the roads, and about 54 of the units being economically irreparable, the Department is in the process of refurbishing the existing 61 trucks, and has procured additional 38 trucks to add to the total fleet. The Mobile solution was designed and tested during 2018/19 financial year and declared successful after testing and the units are used for outreach programmes while awaiting the contract for uninterruptable network solution to be finalised. The mobile units will be deployed in the hard to reach areas across the country; including the Eastern Cape once the modernisation process is concluded.

c) As indicated above, mobile units are in the process of being modernised and refurbished, and will be deployed once they are ready. However, the population of Eastern Cape has 59 physical offices located in various parts of the province to service the needs of population.

END