Questions & Replies: Home Affairs A

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2015-03-12

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Reply received: June 2015

QUESTION NO. 1905

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 22 May 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 15 OF 2015

1905.    Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:           

(a) Who are the current chief financial officers of (i) his department and (ii) the entities reporting to him and (b) what is the qualification of each chief financial officer?                                                                               

NW2126E                     

REPLY:

Responses provided by the Department of Home Affairs, Government Printing Works and Electoral Commission are given below:

  1. Department of Home Affairs
  • Mr Gordon Hollamby
  • Bachelor of Laws (Baccalareus Legum Civilium);  B Com Business Economics and B Com Honours in Cost Management; Master of Business Administration
  1. According to the Government Printing Works
  • Mr Rassie Barnard.
  • He is a Chartered Accountant and a member of South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).
  1. According to the Electoral Commission
  • Currently, the position of Chief Financial Officer at the Electoral Commission is vacant, following the promotion of the former incumbent.
  •  Interviews have been held to fill this vacancy and the preferred candidate is a qualified Chartered Accountant and is registered with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).  A process is in place to finalise the appointment.

 

Reply received: June 2015

QUESTION NO. 1870

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 22 May 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 15 OF 2015

1870.    Mr M H Hoosen (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs: (1)    

Since 1 January 2015, has his department installed generators at any of (a) its offices or (b) the offices of the entities reporting to him as a result of load shedding; if so, what is the total cost of the (i) installation and (ii) running of these generators?                                                                                                                                                                   NW2091E                                                         

REPLY:

Responses provided by the Department of Home Affairs, Government Printing Works and Electoral Commission are given below:

Department of Home Affairs

  1. Yes.

(a)(i)      R13 022 704.15 for generators installed at 30 offices.

(a)(ii)     The estimated running cost of the generators depends on the amount of load shedding that will be experienced by the respective offices. It cannot at this stage be forecast to what extent the offices will be affected by load shedding. However, the expected average running cost per hour, for fuel only, per generator is estimated at R4.40 per kilowatt hour.  

According to the Government Printing Works

  1. No.

(b)(i)     Not applicable.

(b)(ii)    Not applicable.

According to the Electoral Commission

(b)          No.

(b)(i) Not applicable.

(b)(ii)       Not applicable.

 

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION NO. 1585

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 24 April 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 11 OF 2015

1585.    Mr N Singh (IFP) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

Whether he can furnish information with regard to the (a) efficiency and effectiveness of the issuing of visas to South African citizens through the VFS Global visa system, (b) average turnaround time from the application stage to the issuing of a visa, (c) problems with the system and (d) cost inhibitions?                                                                                                                            

NW1798E

REPLY:

  1. South African citizens do not apply for enabling documents through the VFS Global visa system. Visas are issued to foreign nationals through the VFS Global visa system.
  1. The average turnaround time for temporary residence visas is eight weeks as per the Departmental Annual Performance Plan.
  1. The abuse of the appointment system is the most pertinent problem at the moment although VFS is in the process of dealing with it.
  1. The system has no cost implications for the Department.

 

 

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION NO. 1516

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 24 April 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 11 OF 2015

1516.    Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1)        How many new Zimbabwean Special Dispensation permits have been (a) adjudicated and (b) finalised from 1 October 2014 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

(2)        what additional measures will his department put in place to process as many permits as possible before the 30 April 2015 deadline;

(3)        (a) are permit holders whose permits expired in December 2014, now classified as illegal immigrants and (b) what measures are currently in place to fast-track their new dispensation permit adjudication applications?                                                                   

NW1725E         

REPLY:

(1)(a)    126 488 Zimbabwean Special Dispensation Permits have been adjudicated as of 24 April 2015.

(1)(b)    57 919 were finalised and dispatched to Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) as of 24 April 2015.

(2)        Whilst the closing date for submission of applications at VFS is 30 April 2015, adjudication of the applications will conclude on 31 July 2015. Collection of outcomes from VFS has been extended until 30 September 2015.  In order to meet these target dates, overtime has been approved and has commenced.

(3)(a)    No. Permit holders whose permits expired in December 2014 but who applied for a permit under the Special Dispensation are not classified as illegal immigrants, since they have pending applications.

3(b)      Officials have started working overtime.

 

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION NO. 1515

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 24 April 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 11 OF 2015

1515.    Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1)        What is the current average time taken for a permanent resident permit to be finalised and issued for foreign national applicants;

(2)        what has been the impact of the recent establishment of the Visa Facilitation Service centres on the processing of permanent residence visas;

(3)        how many permanent residence permits were (a) processed and (b) issued in the (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15 financial years?                                                                                                                   

NW1725           

REPLY:

  1. The current average time taken for a permanent residence permit to be finalised and issued is eight (8) months.
  2.  The Department is able to track and trace applications online and also able to monitor progress.
  3. The number of applications processed and issued in the said financial years are as follows:

 

  1. 2012-13: 870
  2. 2013-14: 10836
  3. 2014-15: 12635

 

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION NO. 1508

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 24 April 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 11 OF 2015

1508.    Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

 

(1)        With reference to his reply to question 477 on 18 March 2015 what progress has his department made to finalise the business case for National Treasury’s approval to receive a budgetary and financial allocation to fund the entity;

(2)        what progress has his department made with the business case for the Department of Public Service and Administration’s approval in order to (a) recruit and (b) appoint personnel to staff the specified entity;

(3)        when is the specified entity expected to be fully operational?                                                                                                                                          NW1718E                                                                                                                                                         

REPLY:

(1-2) The Department of Home Affairs has met with National Treasury and the Department of Public Service and Administration respectively, to consult on the draft Business Case for the Border Management Agency (BMA).  Work is currently underway on a draft Business Case where relevant Departments are being consulted. The Business Case will make concrete proposals on the recruitment and appointment of personnel for the BMA. The Business Case will be supported by the Expenditure and Performance Review (EPR) which is currently underway.  The EPR seeks to determine the cost implications for the BMA and will subsequently inform the budgetary and financial allocations to the BMA and the organisational structure of the Entity.

(3). It is envisaged for the Border Management Agency (BMA) to be operational in 2017.

 

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION NO. 1506

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 24 April 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 11 OF 2015

1506.    Mr M H Hoosen (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

Whether a certain company (name furnished) has suspended delivery and postal services from his department to (a) international destinations and/or (b) local destinations due to nonpayment of services rendered; if so, what amount does his department owe the specified company?                                                                                                                                                                        NW1716E                                                         

REPLY:

The company referred to is not registered on the departmental database of  service providers nor contracted to the Department to render any courier services. The Department transacts through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) for any international courier services and also participates on the transversal contract for domestic couriers.

 

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION NO. 1454

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 17 April 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 10 OF 2015

1454.  Ms P T van Damme (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

 

(a) How many invoices from private contractors to his department currently remain unpaid for longer than 30 days and (b) in each case, what (i) are the details of the (aa) contractor and (bb) services provided and (ii) what is the (aa) date of the invoice and (bb)  reason why the invoice was not paid within 30 days?                                                                                            NW1667E     

REPLY:

  1. There were 6336 invoices unpaid for longer than 30 days as at 31 March 2015.

(b)(i)(aa-bb) The number of contractors/ service providers affected as at 31 March 2015 is approximately 251. Information on the details of each contractor/ service provider and the services provided as Annexure A see the link for Annexure A:  /files/RNW1454A-150520.pdf

(b)(ii)(aa) The dates of the 6336 invoices is not available because the database reflects those unpaid invoices longer than 30 days as calculated from the date the invoice is received until payment is made.

(b)(ii)(bb) The reasons for non-payment are provide in Annexure A and are summarised in the table below:  

 

No. of invoices

Amount

Reasons

29

620 812

Outstanding banking details

5422

211 426 245

Query with the suppliers

885

191 411 442

System error at final                                     authorisation stage

 

 

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION NO. 1418

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 17 April 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 10 OF 2015

1418.    Mrs A M Dreyer (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affair:

Does his department have a Regulatory Burden Reduction strategy in place; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the strategy?                                                                                                                                     NW1631E                                                                                                         

REPLY:

Yes. The Department of Home Affairs has made a commitment to streamlining its administration of its legislation and regulations in the interest of serving its clients efficiently and mitigating the risk of corruption.  This commitment was part of the Turnaround Strategy and is part of the Modernisation strategy which is being implemented. Measures such as SMS notification system for clients and re-engineering business processes have led to large efficiency gains that have decreased the burden on business and the public at large.  The key elements of the Modernisation strategy are reviewing policy and legislation; developing a platform of integrated digital systems; and professionalising officials.       

 

 

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION NO. 1384

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 17 April 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 10 OF 2015

1384.    Ms S V Kalyan (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(a) What number of (i) financial, (ii) forensic and/or (iii) other investigations that were commissioned by his department have been completed since 1 April 2013 and (b) in each case, what are the relevant details on the (i) investigation including a synopsis of the facts and findings of each case, (ii) persons or third parties responsible for each investigation, (iii) total cost to date of each investigation and (iv) appropriate steps taken against officials and third parties implicated of wrongdoing in the findings of the investigations?                                                                                  NW1596E                                                                                                                                             

REPLY:

(a)(i)        Financial = 21

(a)(ii)       Forensic = 0

(a)(iii)      Others  =552

(b)(i)        The information for financial investigations are as follows:

  • Misappropriation of State Revenue = 14
  • Misuse of State Revenue= 1
  • Fraud in relation to subsistence and travel claims = 1
  • Theft of State Revenue= 5

              There were no forensic investigations engaged. Information on other investigations relate to fraud and corruption with regards to the acquisition of Identity documents, Birth certificates, Passports, Permits and  miscellaneous.

(b)(ii)       All investigations referred to above were conducted internally.

(b)(iii)      All costs are as per the budget including salaries of employees in the           Investigations units.

(b)(iv)      339 Officials were subject to disciplinary action of which 266 were pronounced guilty and 73 were pronounced not guilty.  The following sanctions were imposed:

  • Final written warnings and counselling = 5
  • Dismissal= 151
  • Discharged =25
  • Final written warning= 33
  • Warnings= 5
  • Suspension without pay =65

15 members of the public who were implicated in corrupt activities were referred to South African Police Services (SAPS) for criminal prosecution.

 

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION NO. 1279

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 17 April 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 10 OF 2015

1279.    Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

Which month in this year is he planning to table the Refugee Amendment Bill, in light of the September 2015 deadline set by the Constitutional Court in the decision on Lawyers for Human Rights v Minister of Home Affairs and Others in 2010?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           NW1488E                                                                                                                            

REPLY:

Whilst the Department will be submitting the Refugee Amendment Bill, 2015 to Cabinet during May 2015 and to Parliament in June 2015 as per the Legislative Programme of the Department, Parliament will be approached to request that it relies on Rule 238 of the Rules of Parliament in order to address the legislative amendment to section 21(5) of the Refugees Act No.130 of 1998 that needs to be effected in line with the decision of the Constitutional Court in Lawyers for Human Rights v Minister of Home Affairs and Others in 2010.  

 

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION NO. 1155

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 27 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 9 OF 2015

1155.    Ms J F Terblanche (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(a) How many sick leave days were taken by employees of his department in the 2013-14 financial year and (b) what was the total cost thereof in rand?                                                                                                                                  NW1355                                                                                   

REPLY:

Sick leave days taken by the employees of the Department of Home affairs and the amount in rand are provided below:

  1. 79 389 days
  1. R48 748 000.00

 

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION NO. 1120

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 27 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 9 OF 2015

1120.    Ms J F Terblanche (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

 

  1. What amount did (i) his department and (ii) state entities reporting to him spend on each newspaper subscription in each month (aa) in the (aaa) 2011-12, (bbb) 2012-13 and (ccc) 2013-14 financial years and (bb) during the period 1 April 2014 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) how many copies of each newspaper were ordered on each day of the week (i) in each specified financial year and (ii) during the period 1 April 2014 up to the latest specified date for which information is available?                                                                                                                NW1285E

REPLY:

Responses provided by the Department of Home Affairs, Electoral Commission and Government Printing Works are given below:

Department of Home Affairs

(a)(i)      The Department is unable to provide the monthly costs per newspaper subscription as the information is not readily available. Costs incurred by the Department per financial year were as follows:

(aaa)     2011/2012 financial year: R262, 974.57

(bbb)  2012/2013 financial year: R606, 884.67

(ccc)     2013/2014 financial year: R381,857.50

(bb)      2014/2015 financial year: R621,121.00

(b)(i-ii)   The total number of copies of newspapers ordered by the Department in the respective financial years is provided.   See the link /files/RNW1120-150416NEWSPAPERS.docx

 

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION NO. 1085

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 27 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 9 OF 2015

1085.    Mr M H Hoosen (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

What amount did (a) his department and (b) entities reporting to him spend on advertising in The New Age newspaper in the (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14 financial years?                                                                                                                                                                  NW1250E                                             

REPLY:

Responses provided by the Department of Home Affairs, Electoral Commission and Government Printing Works are given below:

Department of Home Affairs

(1)(a)(i)         2011-12:    Nil.  

(1)(a)(ii)        2012-13:    R 220,877.28

(1)(a)(iii)       2013-14:    R 481,890.53                

According to the Electoral Commission

(1)(b)(i)         2011-12:   Nil.  

(1)(b)(ii)        2012-13:   Nil.

(1)(b)(iii)       2013-14:   R 93,426.00

According to the Government Printing Works

(1)(b)(i)         2011-12:    Nil.  

(1)(b)(ii)        2012-13:    Nil.

(1)(b)(iii)       2013-14:    Nil.

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 967

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 20 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 8 OF 2015

967.      Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1) Will the current Musina and the planned Lebombo refugee centres be sufficient to cater for the demand for asylum applications by foreign nationals;

(2) are there plans for the construction of additional refugee centres; if so, where and when will these facilities be built;

(3) are there (a) any plans and (b) a budgetary allocation in place to address the infrastructure and staffing needs of the country’s refugee centres located on our border; if so, (i) what are the details of each and (ii) what amount of applications are all of the various refugee centres meant to process in each month? NW1126E                

                                                           

REPLY:

(1) Yes. Additional to Musina there are two more operational Refugee Reception Offices (RRO), namely Marabastad and Durban. All above RROs are open to new applicants and our daily reporting indicate that the RROs are more than able to finalise newcomers between 48 hours and 30 workings days. The delays arise when clients are exercising their rights in terms of appeal or review of the first instance decisions on asylum applications.

(2) Besides adding Lebombo the Department is not intending to add any new offices from the existing operational three (Durban, Musina and Marabastad).

(3)(a-b)(i) The Lebombo planning is at the initial phase and plans will be informed by the feasibility study earmarked for 2015/16 financial year.

 3(ii) The department cannot determine the number of applicants it should or is meant to process. The numbers vary according to the push conditions in the refugee producing countries.

However, the current numbers of Refugee Status Determination Officers (RSDO) are able to cope with high volumes. Each RSDO is expected to adjudicate seven (7) cases per day which equates to hundred and forty (140) per month.    

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 896

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 20 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 8 OF 2015

896.      Adv H C Schmidt (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

 

What amount was spent by (a) his department and (b) state entities reporting to him on (i) tickets and (ii) sponsorships on The New Age Breakfast Briefings for the last three financial years?                                                                NW1045E                                                                                                                     

REPLY:

Responses provided by the Department of Home Affairs, Electoral Commission and Government Printing Works are given below:

 

Department of Home Affairs

(a)(i)        Nil. 

(a)(ii)       Nil. 

 

According to the Electoral Commission

(b)(i)        The Electoral Commission did not incur any expenses in 2011/12 and 2012/13 financial years on the New Age Breakfast Briefings.  In 2013/14 financial year, the Electoral Commission spent an amount of R7 130.70 to book a table in January 2014. The booking happened in the context of a dedicated briefing on the preparations for the 2014 National and Provincial Elections with various political parties participating in the programme.

 

(b)(ii)       Nil.

 

According to the Government Printing Works

(b)(i)        Nil.

(b)(ii)       Nil.

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 861

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 20 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 8 OF 2015

861.      Mr J J McGluwa (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1) Whether his department or the entities reporting to him provides any type of sponsorships; if not, what is his department’s position in this regard; if so, (a) what are the details of each sponsorship, (b) what is the value of each sponsorship, (c) when were each of these sponsorship deals undertaken and (d) when will each of the sponsorship deals end;

(2) whether his department or any of the entities reporting to him intends to enter into any type of sponsorship deal or contract in the (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17 financial years; if not, why not; if so, (i) with whom will each sponsorship deal or contract be made, (ii) what will the terms of each of the sponsorship deals or contracts be, (iii) when will each of the sponsorship deals or contracts (aa) commence and (bb) end and (iv) what is the value of each of the sponsorship deals or contracts?                                                                                                                                

NW1010E

REPLY:

Responses provided by the Department of Home Affairs, Electoral Commission and Government Printing Works are given below:

Department of Home Affairs

(1-2) Currently the department does not provide any type of sponsorships. The department currently does not have plans in place to utilise sponsorships in 2015/16 and also in 2016/17 financial years and there are no policies in place to address issues of sponsorship.

 

According to the Electoral Commission

  1. No sponsorships are provided by the Electoral Commission.
  2. The Electoral Commission is considering entering into sponsorship deals or contracts in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 financial years.  It must be noted that Media coverage has historically been high in regard to voter registration and election activities during South Africa’s national, provincial and municipal elections that take place cyclically, generally between April and July. These events attract significant attention in view of the present political environment, and are expected to continue to be high as is the media interest in registration of political parties, by-elections and other politically-related activities. Media coverage of future elections is likely to be intense and will form an integral part of election news. In this regard, the Electoral Commission intends to transparently display results on an ongoing basis as they become available via the national and provincial results operations centres (ROCs).  

Given the interest that the ROCs enjoy during the week in which the elections take place, the Electoral Commission has resolved to establish these centres through mutually beneficial sponsorship packages. Potential sponsors will be offered the opportunity to become one of the exclusive corporate sponsors for these centres. Through the sponsorship packages, the Electoral Commission will provide corporate sponsors with invaluable advertising exposure in the media and acknowledgement of the role their company plays in democracy through elections.

Only organisations that are approved by the Chief Electoral Officer, in consultation with the Commission, will be approached for sponsorship.

Details of the sponsorship packages for the 2016 Local government elections have yet to be determined

 

According to the Government Printing Works

 

(1-2) The Government Printing Works does not have any type of sponsorships and does not intend to enter into any sponsorships in the 2015/16 and in 2016/2017 financial years.

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 738

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 13 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 7 OF 2015

738.      Mr M H Hoosen (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1)        How many persons are currently waiting for their (a) identity document (ID) applications to be processed and (b) IDs to be (i) printed and (ii) issued to them;

(2)        (a) which provinces are currently experiencing the slowest turnaround time in terms of (i) processing ID applications and (ii) ensuring that the IDs are (aa) issued and (bb) handed over to applicants and (b) what are the reasons for these delays?                                                

NW886E                      

REPLY:

(1)(a)              As at 16  March 2015, 12 637  identity  document  applications

                       were in process.

 

(1)(b)(i-ii)    As at 16 March 2015, 5 754  identity  documents  were  printed

                       and are being issued to applicants.

 

(2)(a)(i)           The provinces do not currently  experience  any  delays  in

                       turnaround   times   in   the   processing  of  identity  document

                       applications.

 

(2)(a)(ii)(aa)    Turnaround   times  for  the  processing  of  identity  document

                       applications   in   the   provinces   are   monitored  through  the

                       National Population Register and the track and trace system.

 

(2)(a)(ii)(bb)     Applicants must collect their identity documents at the office of

                        application,     and      the      Department      forwards       SMS

                        communications    to    inform   applicants   that    the    identity

                        document    is    awaiting     collection.   To   ensure   that    the

                        identity document is collected by the  applicant  the  track  and

                        trace system  is  updated, and  the  identity  document  is  then

                        handed over to the applicant.

 

(2)(b)                  There may be instances where delays in the issuing of identity documents will be experienced due to incorrect and/or insufficient information provided by the applicant(s).

                         

                          There are also applications for change of personal particulars through amendments and rectifications that require investigation which may delay the processing of identity documents applications. Furthermore duplicate cases of identity documents would also first need to be thoroughly investigated and resolved before the affected ID application can be processed. Due to power supply constraints and load –shedding experienced, First issue applications were delayed at Home Affairs National Identification System (HANIS) as the department could not upload the fingerprints at the same rate as uploading from the Disaster Recovery Site (DRS).

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 659

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 13 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 7 OF 2015

659.      Ms S J Nkomo (IFP) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

 

(1)        In light of the fact that immigration is vital for economic growth, (a) how is her department monitoring the need for scarce skills in our country, in coordination with other ministries and other stakeholders and (b) what system is used in issuing visas to foreign workers;

(2)        (a) what were the targets for issuing visas to foreign nationals, (b) how many visas were not processed and (c) what are the reasons which has led to some foreign nationals being deported from South Africa and listed as undesirable persons for five years?                         

NW783E

REPLY:

 

(1)(a)    The Department works closely with the Departments of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Labour (DoL) to assist South Africa in pursuing its economic development goals. In  2014, the Department published its Critical Skills List that guides the attraction of critical skills to the country. This list was developed in consultation with DTI and DoL, amongst other departments. Further, the Department continues to collaborate with departments such as the Department of Health to monitor the need for critical skills in the country. In this regard, the Department has extended the agreement with the Department of Health to waive certain requirements for health professionals who wish to apply for a critical skills visa.  The Department of Basic Education has also requested assistance from the Department to assist with an audit to verify whether foreign educators at their schools are holders of valid critical skills visas.

 

1(b)      The Department has a newly developed new Visa Adjudication System (VAS) and a new visa label with more security features.

 

2(a)      As per the Department’s Annual Performance Plan 2014/2015, the published target is to finalise 62% of critical skills visa applications within 8 weeks.

 

2(b)      There are no visas which have not been processed. Currently, every application that is received is finalised accordingly.

 

2(c)                   Majority of persons who are declared undesirable are those who, either through deliberate action or through negligence, are found to have overstayed their visit beyond the expiry date of their temporary residence visas.

 

rined in the Constitution.

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 534

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 6 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 5 OF 2015

534.      Mr M H Hoosen (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

 

Whether any employees in his department have been on suspension with full salary since 1 January 2014; if so, (a) how many employees and (b) what is the total cost thereof?                                                                                  

NW614E          

REPLY:

 

  1. 42 employees were on suspension with full pay since 1 January 2014 to date.
  2. The total cost of all suspensions for the period 1 January 2014 to date is R 3 420 316.64.

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 493

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 6 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 5 OF 2015

493.      Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

How many critical skills visa applications have been (a) filed, (b) processed, (c) approved and (d) rejected or denied by his department since the commencement and implementation of the Immigration Amendment Act, Act 13 of 2011, on 26 May 2014?                                                              

NW572E

REPLY:

Since the commencement and implementation of the Immigration Amendment Act, Act 13 of 2011 on the 26 of May 2014 the Department of Home Affairs has received and processed the following volumes of Critical Skills Visa applications:

  1. 3409 applications filed between June 2014 and February 2015.
  2. As of 06 March 2015, 3355 have been processed and 54 are in the process of being adjudicated.

(c-d)     It is not possible to provide the status of whether the 3355 applications have been approved or rejected or denied as the information is not readily available on the Movement Control System (MCS). The MCS does not produce reports in the format that is being requested.  

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 479

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 6 March 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 5 OF 2015

479.      Mr N Singh (IFP) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

 

(1) Whether, with reference to his reply to question 367 on 8 July 2014, he has found that the reasoning behind the government of the United Kingdom’s increase in visa entry requirements for South African citizens travelling to the United Kingdom using South African passports has anything to do with the allegations that South African passports are deemed to be easily obtained by criminal syndicates making use of fraudulent South African passports;

(2) what has his department done since 2004 to minimise the risk of identity fraud relating to South African passports;

(3) how many cases of identity fraud relating to passports did his department uncover in (a) 2004, (b) 2010 and (c) 2014?

NW554E                      

REPLY:

(1) It is not practically possible for the South African Government to establish whether the motive of the United Kingdom Government for imposing visa entry requirements was because of the allegation advanced. This will only be known by them. 

(2) Minimising risks, protecting and securing RSA identification documents is part of our commitment and continuous business-process improvement not because of any other Government or State other than RSA Government’s commitment to protect its citizenry and territorial integrity.

To this extent various improvement measures have been undertaken:

On 08 April 2009 the Department of Home Affairs introduced a new passport with various advanced multiple security features incorporated into the pages e.g. the end page is chemically sensitised to prevent tampering. The data page has also been replaced by a pure polycarbonate data page personalised through laser engraving.  This will make it impossible to falsify by syndicates.  The blank documents are kept under very strong security at Government Printing Works.

(3) The Branch Civic Services does not have any record of cases of identity fraud for the years (a) 2004, (b) 2010 and (c) 2014.

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 380

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 27 February 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 4 OF 2015

380.      Mr B L Mashile (ANC) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

 

What lessons have been learned since the implementation of his department’s new immigration regulations in 2014, in view of complaints that they will affect tourism negatively, with regard to statistics of visitors in the 2013-14 financial year from (a) India, (b) China and (c) Europe?                                                                                                                        

NW402E                                  

REPLY:

The new immigration regulations are being successfully implemented and its aim is to strike a balance between safeguarding South Africa’s security and economic interests, including tourism. In order to address teething problems linked to its implementation, the Department is working in close cooperation with a number of stakeholders in the tourism sector.

To address the high volume of visa applications originating especially from India and China, the Department is working closely with a service provider and governments of these two countries to open additional visa application centres, thereby increasing our footprint in these countries so that applicants would not have to travel great distances to apply.

Further, being aware that some South African citizens and residents might not be in possession of unabridged birth certificates, the Department took the decision last year to postpone the coming into force of those regulations requiring parents or caregivers travelling with children to be in possession of unabridged birth certificates for their children until June 2015, in order to give such persons the opportunity to source those documents. 

 

 

Reply received: February 2015

QUESTION NO. 242

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 20 February 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 2 of 2015

242.            Mr N Singh (IFP) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

With reference to his reply to question 368 on 8 July 2014, will he provide the full details of the intended date for the establishment of a new Immigration Advisory Board?                                                                                                                                                                                                                  NW254E

REPLY:

It is envisioned that the Board will be appointed by no later than 1 June 2015. I will appoint members to the Immigration Advisory Board, in line with Section 4(2)(a) of the Immigration Act, as amended, and according to their knowledge and experience. 

Reply received: February 2015

QUESTION NO. 206

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Thursday, 12 February 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 1 of 2015

206.      Mr G A Gardee (EFF) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1)        Whether, with regard to R90 million that is spent by the Government each year on sending illegal immigrants back to their countries, he considered the cost effectiveness of this strategy against the reality that some immigrants actually provide good jobs for locals;

(2)        in a recent survey, it was found that only 2 out of 10 shops were owned by foreigners in Soweto, with regard to this background is it his finding that there is a high number of foreigners as stated by the Minister of Water and Sanitation;

(3)        in light of the fact that the new dispensation permits left hundreds of Zimbabweans stranded, what measures have been put in place to ensure that the hundreds of African migrants whose permits are pending will not have to leave their jobs and return only when they can prove they are legally in the country?                                                                                                                                                                              NW223E

REPLY:

(1) The Minister is guided by the law as currently stated which does not allow persons without lawful status to remain in South Africa. It is acknowledged and accepted that there are foreign nationals contributing successfully to the economy. However, this is done by applying for the correct visa to do so. Foreign nationals are able to apply for visas which will allow them to invest and work in the South African economy. South Africa - like all sovereign states - must ensure that this is done within the correct legal framework. Furthermore managing illegal migration ensures that those who present a danger to the country are able to be removed.

(2) It would assist if the survey could be shared in order to address the question more effectively.

(3) In order to ensure that applicants for the Zimbabwean Special Permit (ZSP) do not have to leave their jobs and return only when their permits are issued, the Department issued an Immigration Directive instructing all ports of entry to allow Zimbabweans who applied for ZSP to re-enter the Republic even if their applications are pending.  

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 169

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Thursday, 12 February 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 1 OF 2015

169.      Mr A P van der Westhuizen (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1) With reference to the reply of the Minister of Communications to question 1031 on 27 November 2014, what was the total amount that (a) his department and (b) each of its entities (i) spent on and/or (ii) budgeted for advertising for each month between 1 January 2013 and 31 July 2014, excluding expenditure transferred through the Department of Communications for advertising;

 

(2) does such figure for each month represent the (a) total value of advertising that appeared in the media in that month, (b) amount paid in that month for advertising that may have appeared previously or (c) amount paid in advance for advertising that appeared at a later date;

 

(3) in each specified case, what amount did (a) his department and (b) each of its entities spend on advertising in (i) print, (ii) radio, (iii) television, (iv) online and (v) outdoor;

 

(4) in each specified case, what is the breakdown of advertising by (a) his department and (b) each of its entities in terms of (i) name of and (ii) amount spent on each (aa) publication, (bb) radio station, (cc) television station, (dd) website and (ee) billboards location in each province?                                                      NW177E

 

REPLY:

 

Responses provided by the Department of Home Affairs, Electoral Commission and Government Printing Works are given below:

 

Department of Home Affairs

 

(1)(a)(i-ii) Total cost for advertising from 1 January 2013 to 31 July 2014 was   R 2,0281,592.00 by Department of Home Affairs. The budget was expended as follows:

 

  • Broadcast Advertising for Budget Vote Speech 2013, radio airtime media-buying on SABC radio stations, cost R 421,800.00 on 9 May 2013.
  • Television Advertising for Budget Vote Speech 2013 on SABC 1, 2 and 3, cost R487,350.00 on 9 May 2013.
  • Placement of advert on Continental Outdoor at the OR-Tambo, Cape Town, and King Shaka International Airports for the Budget Vote Speech 2013, cost R251,000.00 on 9 May 2013.
  • Pre- and Post-Budget Vote Speech 2013, placement of advertisement on SABC TV 1, 2 and 3, cost R719,250.00 on 9 May 2013.
  • Live radio broadcast with Sound Fusion Company on 27 Community Radio Stations and SABC Morning Live, cost R 239,058.00, for the launch of the Smart ID card on the 18 July 2013 from the Union Building, cost   R 163,134.00 on 18 July 2013.
  • The usage of Global Access to provide channel live broadcast of the Parliament Budget Vote proceedings to staff members within Home Affairs offices in support of the Departmental Budget Vote speech 2014, cost   R 98,188.20 on 15 July 2014.

 

(2)(a)    Yes.

(2)(b)    No.

(2)(c)    No.

 

3.         The amounts spend on advertising are as follows:

            (i)          Print: R0 was done through Department of Communications.

            (ii)         Radio: R 584,934.00.

            (iii)        Television: R 824,596.20.

            (iv)        Online: No cost implications.

            (v)         Outdoor: R251,000.00.

 

4(a)      The breakdown is as follows:

                        (aa)       Publication was done through the Department of Communications.   

(bb)      Radio (i) Ukhozi FM, Lesedi FM, Phalaphala FM, and 27 Community Radio stations (ii): R 584,934.00.    

(cc)       Television (i): SABC 1, 2 and 3 plus Global Access (ii): R 824,596.20.

(dd)      Website: no cost

(ee)       Billboards: no cost

According to the Electoral Commission

1(b)(i-ii) A total of R106 567 961 was spent on traditional advertising during the period between January 2013 and July 2014. This includes advertising for the National and Provincial Elections held in May 2014 as well as for recruitment and procurement advertising. It does not include expenditure related to education and outreach activities some of which involved partnerships and sponsorships with media institutions including the SABC. It also excludes some communication initiatives and activities undertaken by local IEC offices for education, outreach, registration and voting activities including those in respect of by-elections.

The monthly expenditure breakdown for the period requested is as follows:

 

DATE

AMOUNT

January 2013                

R      366 694

February 2013              

R      152 277

March 2013                  

R      553 847

April 2013                    

R      549 705

May 2013                                 

R      276 427

June 2013                    

R   1 062 421

July 2013                     

R      558 470

August 2013                 

R      552 214

September 2013                       

R      423 786

October 2013               

R   3 906 736

November 2013            

R 15 802 546

December 2013            

R   3 786 155

 

January 2014                

R 28 128 971

February 2014              

R 19 949 827

March 2014                  

R   7 222 680

April 2014                    

R   9 091 045

May 2014                                 

R 13 411 215

June 2014                    

R      429 652

July 2014                     

R      343 293

 

The Electoral Commission does not budget for advertising activities on a monthly basis. Budgets are set on an annual basis (per financial year) according to anticipated campaigns – such as national elections, registration events, by-elections etc. In this regard, the budget for advertising during the 2012/13 financial year was R1 803 372 (non-election year); in the 2013/14 financial year it was R112 340 899 and the budget for the 2014/15 financial year was R31 510 825.

 

(2)(a-c) It is the policy and practice of the Electoral Commission to pay for goods and services within 30 days of the receipt of the invoice following the delivery and provision of the goods or services and having met all the requirements of the contract. Payments for goods and services are done for the month in which the goods were delivered or the service provided.

 

(3)(b)    The Electoral Commission spent the following per platform in the period under review:

  1. Print –            R21 556 827
  2. Radio – R31 357 893
  3. Television –       R27 630 222
  4. Online –            R10 490 640
  5. Outdoor –         R15 532 379

 

(4)(b)(i-ii) The Electoral Commission is unable to provide a breakdown at this level of detail.

According to Government Printing Works

(1)(b)(i-ii) The Government Printing Works’ expenditure is as follows:

 

Marketing        

PRINT MEDIA

DATE

AMOUNT

FORMAT

Essential Publishers (magazine circulated nationally to all municipalities

May 2013

R18 696

A4 printed advertisement

Recruitment

            PRINT MEDIA

DATE

AMOUNT

FORMAT

City Press

Feb 2013

R41 983

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

City Press

Mar 2013

R165 111

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

City Press

Rapport

Mar 2013

R53 376

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Star Workplace

Mar 2013

R12 101

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Star Workplace

Mar 2013

R11 868

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Sunday Times

May 2013

R33 339

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

            PRINT MEDIA

DATE

AMOUNT

FORMAT

Sunday Times

Jun 2013

R50 990

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Sunday Times

Aug 2013

R35 300

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Star Workplace

Sep 2013

R32 580

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

City Press

Sunday Times

Oct 2013

R67 610

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Star Workplace

Oct 2013

R26 064

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Star Workplace

Nov 2013

R10 472

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Pretoria News

Nov 2013

R2 638

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

City Press

Nov 2013

R288 233

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

City Press

Rapport

Feb 2014

R157 176

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Argus

Daily News

Star

Mar 2014

R25 508

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

City Press

Sunday Times

Mar 2014

R44 907

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

City Press

Sunday Times

Mar 2014

R53327

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Argus

Daily News

Star

Apr 2014

R46 980

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Argus

Daily News

Star

Apr 2014

R14 061

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Star Workplace

Apr 2014

R13 321

Advertisement of personnel vacancy

Tenders  

            PRINT MEDIA

DATE

AMOUNT

FORMAT

Sunday Times

Apr/May 2013

R45 591

Once-off publication of the Government Printing Works tender for colour printing services

Sunday Times

City Press

Nov 2013

R78 289

Once-off publication of the Government Printing Works construction requirements at Pavilion 3, Visagie Street, Pretoria site

           

2(a-c)    All amounts were once-off payments upon publication of each advertisement.

(3)(b)    The Government Printing Works spent the following on advertising in the period under review:

(i)         Print –  R1 646 418

(ii)         Radio   -           none

(iii         Television-        none

(iv)        Online -            none

(v)        Outdoor -          none

(4)(b)(i-ii)The details is provided in (1)(b)(i-ii) above.

 

Reply received: February 2015

QUESTION NO. 95

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Thursday, 12 February 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 1 of 2015

95.        Mr M H Hoosen (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

Can he confirm whether a task team was established by his department in September 2014 to look at the implementation of the recently-introduced visa regulations; if so, (a) who are the individual members of the task team, (b) how many times have the members met since September 2014 to date and (c) what will the task team’s eventual reported findings be used for?                                                                                                                                     NW97E

REPLY:

A Task Team was established in September 2014.

  1. The members of the Task Team are as follows:
    1. ASATA – Association of SA Travel Agents
    2. AASA – Airline Association of SA
    3. SATSA – South African Tourism Services Association 
    4. FEDHASA – Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa
    5. FTT – Fair Trade Tourism
    6. BARSA – Board of Airline Representatives of SA
    7. SAVRALA - Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association
    8. TBCSA – Tourism Business Council of South Africa
    9. IATA – International Air Transport Association
    10. SAT – South African Tourism
    11. ACSA – Airports Company of South Africa
    12. Department of Tourism
    13. Department of Home Affairs
    14. Department of Transport
    15. Department of Environmental Affairs
    16. Department of Public Enterprises
    17. Department of International Relations and Cooperation
  1. The Immigration Task Team held its first meeting on 17 October 2014. Meetings were scheduled for November 2014 and early February 2015 but had to be postponed due to pressing commitments by some of its members. A meeting is scheduled to take place in the last week of February 2015. Meetings between specific members of the Task Team regularly take place even though the full Task Team has been unable to meet.
  1. The Task Team is a vehicle for ongoing engagement with respect to issues arising out of the implementation of the amended immigration regulations. 

 

Reply received: February 2015

QUESTION NO. 90

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Thursday, 12 February 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 1 of 2015

90.        Mr M H Hoosen (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

What is the progress of the application filed on 23 January 2015 with the Head Office of his department for a registration of death by a certain person (name furnished) in respect of a certain person (name furnished)?                                                                                                                                             NW92E

REPLY:

The Department cannot provide information in this regard as there is no valid official application filed or tendered for the registration of a death of the deceased. According to the information available the deceased never applied for a 13 digit Identity Document. 

However, the department has requested the Provincial Manager: Eastern Cape, to offer assistance to the family as far as possible, to enable the death registration process to unfold. The department will be able to provide progress in this regard once the requirements are met.

 

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION NO. 43

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Tuesday, 24 February 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 3 OF 2015

43.        Ms S J Nkomo (IFP) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs::

(a) What are the (i) objectives and (ii) proposed outcomes of the private visa facilitation service and (b) in particular, what is the turnaround time of this service in respect of the issuing of a critical skills visa, as there are many reports of applicants who have been waiting for longer than 60 days and in some instances of applicants being declared as undesirable and deported in the interim? NO448E                       

REPLY:

(a)(i-ii)      The Department has appointed VFS Global to receive and manage visa and permit applications in South Africa. The company is given the mandate to automate the application processes, develop a solution for biometric intake in line with the immigration regulations, manage a dedicated permitting call centre and deliver outcomes to clients efficiently and timely. Through the introduction of VFS in South Africa, clients are now required to apply on-line, set-up appointments and visit the visa facilitation centres for biometric intake. Unlike in the past, clients can now pay using electronic methods for both the handling fee for VFS and visa fees due to the State. This is a radical departure from the previous method of manual application processes that were hugely responsible for inefficiencies within the permitting environment. This intervention has had a positive impact on South Africa’s adjudication of visas.

The partnership with VFS in South Africa follows already existing, similar partnerships between DHA and VFS in high volume missions such as Nigeria, China, Ghana, DRC, Angola and Kenya. In these missions and as part of improving services to clients, the Department had to cut long queues and reduce turn-around times to adjudicate visas.

(b)   The official turnaround time for the issuance of visas as published in the Department’s Annual Performance Plan is 8 weeks (40 working days). With the introduction of VFS the turnaround time has been reduced to an average of 4 to 5 weeks for critical skills. The volume of critical skills applications received by the Department, when compared to other categories is significantly lower. Critical skills applications are therefore finalised within a shorter period. The Department is not aware of persons who possess or were applicants for a critical skills visa being deported. Persons who are declared undesirable when they depart the Republic are most likely persons who have overstayed their visit.

 

Reply received: February 2015

QUESTION NO. 11

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Thursday, 12 February 2015

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 1 of 2015

11.        Ms D Carter (Cope) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1) Whether his department is affording each client at the respective offices of (a) Home Affairs, (b) Customs House, and (c) the Border Posts to complete a service questionnaire regarding the (i) quality, (ii) promptness, and (iii) friendliness of service; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether the questionnaire has space for complaints about the solicitation of bribes and/or abusive conduct to be anonymously entered for the department to study such responses and monitor what is happening in each office to determine whether inspections or sting operations were to be conducted in respect of any office; if not; why not; if so, what are the relevant details for the period 2012-14;

(3) will he make a statement on (a) how he is ensuring that Batho Pele principles were being strictly and continuously applied in all offices for which his department is responsible and (b) the steps he is taking where these principles are being violated or ignored?                                                                                                                                                           NW12E

REPLY:

(1a-c)    No formal questionnaire is available to clients but suggestion and complaint boxes as well as a register are available at all the Department’s service points in order for clients to submit suggestions and to lodge complaints. It is a requirement that the head of office, on a daily basis, filter through suggestions and complaints received thus enabling assessment of the level of customer satisfaction on the services provided in terms of quality, promptness and friendliness.

 

 

There is also a National Toll-free Hotline number, 0800 60 11 90, that is publicised in all the Department’s offices should a client wish to lodge a complaint, or submit a suggestion.

As part of the Department’s Service Delivery Improvement Plan the management of suggestions and complaints is also a required action stipulated in the Front Office Toolkit aimed at improving front office service delivery to all its clients, including office environment and customer experience.

Undertaking of client surveys at ports of entry is also being considered in consultation with all relevant departments operating at a Port of Entry. This is necessitated to factor in the client service experience as provided by various government departments operating within the port environment (e.g. SAPS, SARS, Health).

(2) Clients can report solicitation of bribes and / or abusive conduct anonymously in the registers or suggestion and complaint boxes. Alternatively clients may call the publicised National Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 701 701. These matters are investigated by the Branch: Counter Corruption and Security.   

(3) The Batho Pele principles form part of the Home Affairs induction training as well as the Home Affairs National Certificate. At local level, the adherence to Batho Pele principles is discussed in all management meetings in order to ensure that officials comply with Batho Pele principles. These management meetings are also used as refresher training platforms.

The Department commits itself to adhering to all eight (8) principles of Batho Pele as outlined in its Service Charter and to the standards in delivering its services. The Service Charter further provides the clients with service delivery expectations and remedies should the client identify any area of non-compliance in line with Batho Pele Principles. Departmental disciplinary procedures in line with the Code of conduct for public servants are followed in cases where the violation and or non-compliance of Batho Pele principles are identified.

The Department is in the process of publishing its Service Charter before the end of the financial year to reflect its statement of public service commitment as enshrined in the Constitution.