Parliament, Tuesday, 20 August 2024 – The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has granted the Electoral Commission of South Africa time to conclude a comprehensive report on the recently concluded National and Provincial elections. The committee considers it important that it reflects on the positives and challenges encountered during the elections to ensure that future elections experience less challenges.
“It is important that the committee receives a considered report that covers broadly the positives and challenges experienced in the past elections. A comprehensive reflection will ensure that the entire process is open and transparent and will enhance accountability,” Mr Chabane emphasised.
Meanwhile, the committee has raised a serious concern that there were administrative lapses in the issuing of study visas for the 95 Libyan nationals that were detained at a military training camp in Mpumalanga. The issuance of the visas without following due process and approval without the necessary information requires urgent action to safeguard the country’s security.
Despite these concerns, however, the committee appreciated the swift action of law enforcement agencies and the use of intelligence to identify and detain the 95 Libyan nationals that led to their deportation from South Africa. The collaboration with communities in sharing information is also a welcomed occurrence which must be encouraged going forward. The department’s anti-corruption unit must extensively communicate its contact platforms to ensure that people are aware and able to share information about fraud and corruption around services of the department.
“It is concerning that the preliminary investigation has uncovered that there was a gap in the administrative process between the Department of International Relations and Cooperation stationed in Tunis and that there was no process to consult, seek advice or obtain authorisation from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) before issuing the visas. This gap presents a security risk and puts into question the verification processes applied in issuing visas,” Mr Chabane said.
The committee was informed that among the anomalies identified by the preliminary investigation included the offline systems at the mission which resulted in handwritten documents, the use of outdated forms that do not comply with prescribed forms in the Immigration Regulations, study visas issued despite no indication in the forms that the applicant was applying for study visas, omission of critical information in the application forms, no evidence of sufficient funds for application to maintain them while in South Africa as prescribed, and non-verification of police clearance certificates before processing the application.
“These lapses are substantial and are at the heart of the verification process before granting a visa. Lack of this critical information has a potential to undermine the ineffectiveness of our immigration regulations and renders useless the verification process. The consequence is that undesirable foreign nationals are admitted to the country putting at risk the country’s security,” Mr Chabane suggested.
While the committee notes that the DHA is awaiting a formal response from the DIRCO on the issuance of visas to enable the DHA to conclude its investigation, it called for a broader analysis of procedures at our missions to ascertain if this is a standard practice and intervene where necessary. Also, the committee has called for urgent and continuous refresher courses for officials at DIRCO missions on legislative prescripts to ensure the adherence to legislative prescripts.
The committee also highlighted that while the deportations have been effected, the need to strengthen the inspectorate unit of the department is necessary and an enhanced monitoring tool to track foreign nationals in the country. “While the deportations end this unfortunate incident, it has exposed the need to strengthen the inspectorate division within the DHA and implement monitoring systems to ensure the monitoring of travellers who contravened the validity of their permits. The Inspectorate unit has been grossly incapacitated and that weakens its ability to implement its mandate,” Mr Chabane said.
Meanwhile, the committee received a presentation on the 82 Ethiopian nationals detained in a house in Sandringham, Johannesburg. It is alleged that the Ethiopian nationals were kept against their will as they were packed in locked rooms and in inhuman conditions. The committee is concerned that the migrants are undocumented and were smuggled into the country. Also of concern is that among the group were seven minors and 19 claim to be juveniles.
“It is concerning that there remains syndicates that facilitate the smuggling of people in the country. The BMA working in collaboration with sister departments within the security cluster must enhance intelligence led investigations to stop these syndicates and prevent abuses of people,” Mr Chabane emphasised.
The committee also received an update on the investigation into the citizenship of Ms Chidimma Adetshina, a contestant in Miss South Africa 2024. The committee had previously requested that the investigation be concluded especially because the prima facie investigation has impacted on the identity of an innocent South African national. The committee accepted that the investigation has not been concluded but it is at an advanced stage.
Despite this, the committee has called for the institution of internal and criminal processes against officials who might have participated in the alleged fraudulent scheme. “The illegal selling of our documents and facilitation of fraudulent entry into the country’s National Population Register for personal corrupt and greedy gains is unacceptable and consequence management must be implemented if the investigation proves that a case of fraud can be proven,” Mr Chabane said. The committee will await the conclusion of the investigation and the legal advice on the implication of the alleged fraudulent acquisition of Ms Adetshina’s mother’s citizenship.
The committee remains steadfast that a secure DHA plays a critical role in ensuring the security of the country and that safeguarding our borders and enforcement of immigration regulations must be heightened at all times. The committee is also of the view that digitisation of processes within the DHA, a process that was started by the 6th administration in conjunction with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research will reduce cases of fraud to our national population register.
The committee has resolved, as a result, that the DHA must at the end of October present a progress report on its digitisation programme and progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the Multi-disciplinary Task Team report on the issuing of permits and visas.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR MOSA CHABANE.
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