Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on provincial visits, dated 17 September 2003.

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, having conducted study tours to the Eastern Cape, Limpopo province, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, reports as follows:

A. Background

After the Department launched the Identity Document (ID) campaign on 1 April 2003 the Committee visited the Eastern Cape, Limpopo province, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng province. The aim of the visits were to exercise oversight over the campaign as well as to exercise oversight over the departments capacity and progress in rendering Civic Services to the people of South Africa.

B. Important areas of the campaign:

  1. Distribution of Ids
    2.

    The distribution of Ids is a cause for serious concern as there is no clear distribution strategy in place in the provinces.

    Nationally there are about 275 000 uncollected ID documents.

    A provincial breakdown is as follows:

    Eastern Cape 34 872

    Free State 21 692

    Gauteng East 49 605

    Gauteng West 36 148

    KZN 40 380

    Limpopo 13 975

    Mpumalanga 15 828

    NC 3 325

    NW 18 386

    WC 19 837

  2. Free photos
    3.

    Free photos are provided in provinces and the number of people applying for Ids has increased as a result. The major problem related to this is the non-payment of photographers.

  3. Resources
    4.

    An amount of R15 million has been allocated for the ID campaign for this year.

    The funds are too limited to sustain the campaign beyond this year.

    According to the department, treasury has already been informed that more funds will be needed to sustain the campaign for longer

  4. Constituency Offices
    5.

    The department has been informed that members’ constituency offices are available for use in the campaign.

  5. Traditional leaders
    6.

    In some provinces traditional leaders play a major role in assisting the department with the ID campaign. In Limpopo province, traditional authorities really assist the Department, and from the statistics it can be seen that it is one of those provinces that has the least amount of uncollected Ids.

    The departmental policy on the of traditional authorities with regard to rendering assistance to the department will have to be clarified though, as the role of traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal, for example is different as in other provinces.

  6. Councilors

More should be done by the Department to get the aid of ward councilors in distributing lists of names of available Ids.

In KwaZulu-Natal the cause for concern is that some councils drive the ID campaign and prescribe and dictate to the department.

7. Volunteers

Volunteers have been enlisted in all provinces to help with the campaign. The volunteers help with the filling in of ID application forms etc.

An overview of observations in the visited provinces is as follows:

1. Eastern Cape

1.1 The large number of people who applied for civic services indicated that there was a huge need for these types of services.

1.2 The level of poverty in the areas visited underscores the critical need for access to social grants and benefits. ID and birth certificates are an important and critical factor in the speedy delivery of social security benefits.

1.3 The cost of ID photos makes it impossible for many of the most vulnerable and desperate to acquire the necessary documentation in order to access social grants and benefits.

    1. Rigid and narrow structural thinking of official’s impacts negatively on the delivery of IDs, birth certificates and access to social grants.

    2. Systems are outdated and sometimes unsuitable for the prevailing circumstances.

    3. Staff on the ground lacks initiative and staff in general appears unmotivated, as morale is low. It appears that the staff is not multi-skilled and that they are unwilling to assist their colleagues when there is a backlog of work. The latter situation seems to occur even when the staff members in question have very few tasks to perform.

    4. Management at offices seems to be lacking and more involved management and commitment could have addressed much of what was observed.

    5. The Batho Pele principles are rarely observed and are basically absent.

    6. There seems to be very little respect on the part of staff of both the departments of Home Affairs and of Social Development for the dignity of their clients. This is evidenced by the bad circumstances in which clients are expected to come and apply for services and benefits: long queues, no shelter, a lack of, or very bad, public amenities, and short-tempered staff.

    7. There is a prevailing shortage of staff at both Departments that clearly frustrates and hampers quick and efficient service delivery.

    8. The physical state of offices is appalling. Many of the offices are situated in structures that are utterly unfit to serve as an office. Many offices are without electricity, water or toilets. Where the offices are in a structurally sound building, it is dirty, in need of paint and in general dilapidated. Conducive working conditions do not prevail.

    9. Offices are not computerised and in many instances are in need of basic resources such as secure filing cabinets, photocopiers, and even the basic forms required to provide necessary services.

    10. Officials and grass roots level staff has been implicated in instances of corruption.

    11. The distribution of documents after finalisation remains a problem. Many uncollected documents remain with the Department of Home Affairs.

1.15Communication between the two lead departments, communities, local leaders and councilors can be improved.

1.16Two problems repeatedly surfaced from the communities at the different venues: The incorrect capturing of both the ages and names of a significant number of applicants. It was also alleged that ID numbers of some people in the Eastern Cape were similar to those of people in KwaZulu-Natal. As a result of the duplication, the system automatically stops the pension payout of those in the Eastern Cape.

1.17There was a general expression of the need to continue with this programme after the delegation’s departure. However, the perception existed that this would not be the case.

1.18There is a disturbing divide between what the Departments of Social Development and Home Affairs say and what the reality is at grass-roots level. If nothing is done soon to stem the tide, a strong possibility exists that would-be voters and beneficiaries would be denied their constitutional rights to access social security benefits and to vote.

1.19Communication between different levels of community leadership and the Departments of Social Development and Home Affairs is reportedly poor. Interdepartmental communication as well as communication with community leadership, particularly traditional leaders, in the rural areas should be improved to ensure delivery of government services, particularly the distribution of IDs and birth certificates.

1.20The current Social Development and Home Affairs staff components are not adequate to cope with the ID and social security grant applications.

2. Limpopo province

    1. The state of buildings in which the department is accommodated in the province is generally in a very atrocious condition. The run-down and dilapidated state of the buildings is a contributing factor to low morale amongst officials. Equipment is lacking at many offices and this seriously hampers service delivery. A compounding problem is that the security at Home Affairs offices in many instances is so poor or non existent, with the result that even if equipment were to be provided, at least some of it would most probably be stolen. As an example please consider the Jane Furse service point that has been burglared 5 times. The fact that Home Affairs are often threatened with eviction further illustrates the need for suitable accommodation to be provided by Public works in provinces. It seems that Home Affairs is treated like squatters in many areas.

    2. The Departmental policy on the granting of free ID photos was not uniformly applied or understood by the various offices and regions in the province.

    3. There was no uniform application of departmental policy when it came to the appointment of volunteer workers in the province and many discrepancies were apparent. For example where 2 volunteers worked in 1 office it seemed a recipe for disaster to pay 1 the daily subsistence allowance of R40.00 per day and not to give the other one anything.

    4. The delegation was shocked to find that there were many traditional authorities in the province that made office space available to the department. Computers were also available for use by the department. This could have provided a major solution to the ill resourced department in providing both office space and security. According to the senior officials of the Department, the Department did not sign the memorandum of understanding with traditional authorities on this issue. The Committee will need further clarification on this matter from the department.

    5. Lack of computers, transport and decent office equipment is a very serious problem that hampers service delivery.

    6. Traditional authorities play a vital role in the delivery of services in especially rural areas where they are very prominent in their communities.

    7. Security of immigration officers is a serious issue that needs attention. Immigration officers evidently feel threatened and something needs to be done before injury or death occurs.

    8. There is an unnecessary bureaucracy when it comes to reappointing people when posts become vacant. There is no reason why it should take months to fill vacancies.

3. KwaZulu-Natal

3.1 Durban sub-region

3.1.1 The implementation of the policy on free photos was not uniformly implemented in the Durban region. The Minister announced free photos on 12 June but this was only implemented by the various districts from 8, 9 & 10 July. This constitutes a serious communication breakdown.

      1. The provision of civic services is unequally provided in the Durban region. The criteria for the distribution of resources do not make sense. For example, areas like Chatsworth, Phoenix, Kwa Mashu and Umlazi are very large but are only visited by mobile units once or twice a week. Chatsworth has a population of in excess of +/- 500 000 people but is visited by a mobile unit once a week. The situation needs urgent attention. The report of the works study team from Head Office should be made available to the Committee as a starting point.

      2. Forms that were not available are the BI9, 17, 39 and 40 forms. It is hard to understand why they were not available, as they only needed to be ordered from Head Office.

      3. The pilot project to involve traditional authorities in civic service applications is very controversial as lines of accountability are not always clear.

      4. The Durban Regional office is very big and not well structured for the work of the Department. The office management will have to apply their minds to solve certain problems. Firstly, officials need to pay more attention to office security as offices are left unattended on a regular basis. Many foreigners and refugees are around in the offices. The influx of people to the office is very high and the offices are very busy. If services are provided in surrounding areas there will be less of an influx to the office. There are about 8000 unclaimed Ids in cabinets and the security here is also very scarce. Cabinets are unlocked during the day in the presence of volunteers in the busy office and Ids can be easily stolen. The delegation was shocked to see an entrepreneur advertise that chairs could be rented at R5.00 a piece on the general floor area where clients waited to be served by officials. The office management has a responsibility to take control over such practices.

      5. The District office in Commercial Road was cleaner, neater and more organised than the Regional office. Stationary problems existed and BI9 forms were said to be lacking.

      6. The Tongaat office seemed organised but the delegation was shocked to hear that a mobile unit went out to Phoenix only once a week. This is totally unacceptable and inadequate for such a vast area.

3.2 Empangeni sub-region

3.2.1 Services are lacking at KaNgwanase. The population here is 123 000 and especially computers are needed. 1 service point is insufficient.

3.2.2 Ezingolweni also has only 1 uncomputerised service point. Written applications are processed at Richards Bay.

3.2.3 Services are needed at Ubombo, Mbazwana and Jozini. The areas are vast and in need of quality services for people.

3.2.4 Better co-ordination to distribute Ids is needed. A distribution strategy that involves councilors should be considered.

3.2.5 In Pongola, people who want to apply for the late registration of birth, struggle. The Department should better communicate criteria for such applications to communities. A clear understanding of the policy regarding the late registration of birth is needed.

3.2.6 Nkandla needs to be computerised. The question of the criteria for the late application of for Ids was an issue here.

3.3 Newcastle sub-region

3.3.1 Home Affairs need to drive the ID campaign in the area. Municipalities can donate vehicles, money etc. but then they should not dictate to Home Affairs. Home Affairs should draw up mobile itineraries in conjunction with all stakeholders.

      1. The issue of traditional marriage officers should be investigated. Especially cases where Mr. Shandu allegedly took files from the Home Affairs office.

      2. There was a complaint that customary marriages were not accepted in the Pongola Home Affairs office. Officials should be provided with training to ensure that they understand the policy on the issue.

      3. Ids should not be given to councilors to distribute but rather lists that indicate which mobile unit will bring people’s Ids. People should also be informed when their Ids arrive at Home Affairs offices.

      4. All stakeholders should refrain from politicizing the distribution of Ids.

3.4 Pietermaritzburg sub-region

 

3.4.1 No co-ordination of the campaign from Home Affairs. Some municipalities seem to lead Home Affairs.

      1. Resources are centralized around Umsunduzi municipality. Municipalities on the outskirts should receive attention and an equitable share of the allocated resources to ensure service delivery.

      2. There is no clear plan to distribution Id’s.

      1. Applications that were taken for Ids at service points are sometimes left in offices for a long time before they are processed and sent to Head Office. The Department must ensure that applications do not lye in offices but are processed.

      2. There is no clarity on the policy regarding the pilot project with traditional authorities.

      3. Computers are needed in some offices.

3.5 Port Shepstone sub-region

3.5.1 The Port Shepstone Regional office is inaccessible for disabled people. This matter needs urgent attention, as there are at least 50 steps that lead up to the office.

      1. Many people come all the way from the Eastern Cape for civil services. The delegation was told that the level of service delivery in the Eastern Cape was low.

      2. The Matitiele service point needs to be computerised as computer work for this service point is currently done at Kokstad.

      3. In the Port Shepstone area there is close co-operation between the Department and Hospice who helps with ID and birth registration applications. The delegation is concerned though that an employee of the department should always do fingerprints. The delegation got the impression that Hospice sometimes works independently from the Department.

      4. There is no clear plan to distribute uncollected IDs in the Port Shepstone area.

      5. There are problems of corruption at the Harding office. Staff take bribes for service. Last year 400 IDs were also stolen from this office. This office should be investigated.

      6. In the Scottsburg area the delegation found good co-operation between the Department and municipalities but the Department should drive the ID campaign and bring stakeholders together.

 

4. Gauteng

4.1 The problem of "runners" or "agents" is rife. These people fill in forms at Home Affairs offices at a cost of R20 per form. In most cases these people go about their business unhindered.

4.2 Office security is mostly nonexistent due to lack of funds. This results in burglaries and the loss of equipment.

4.3 Home Affairs Systems are outdated. This goes for computer systems and operating procedures. The result is that corruption is rife. Examples are marriage of convenience, marrying of people on computer, late registration of birth by foreigners who "buy" parents and false birth registrations.

4.4 Immigration Officers feel unsafe due to no protective clothing being available to them. There are too few Immigration Officers.

4.5 There is no plan for ID distribution in the province

4.6 Photographers are not paid for services rendered.

 

5. Recommendations

The Department should:

5.1 Commission an audit of the office needs of the department countrywide. The audit should be forwarded to PWD along with a request for decent and secure accommodation. The issue of accessibility of offices to disabled people should be included in the audit. The Departments audit and recommendations should be tabled in Parliament.

5.2 Investigate the issue of Immigration Officers who feel unsafe in the execution of their duties, as this is a national problem. It is apparent that the Immigration Section is under resourced. This is a potentially life threatening situation as the work of the Immigration Officers are dangerous. All Immigration Officers should have access to protective clothing especially when going out into the field. A report of the department’s findings should then be tabled in Parliament. The report should have recommendations on how Immigration Officers could be provided with a safer work environment. The provision of protective clothing could be a good starting point.

5.3 Enlist the help of SAPS to address the problem of "runners". In some offices the office staff feel unsafe and threatened by these people who use strong-arm tactics to fill forms in for the public at a price. The department should report to Parliament on the steps that they took to address this problem.

5.4 Give clear direction to the provinces on how to make optimal use of floorwalkers to provide people with information and to direct people to the relevant counters in all offices countrywide.

5.6 Provide a clear holistic strategy of ID distribution countrywide. The regions should be encouraged to have stakeholder meetings in all areas to come up with ways of distributing Ids. The department should report to Parliament on what the national policy of the department is regarding the distribution of Ids and whether the department intends to revisit this policy.

5.7 Commission a complete audit on how to re-engineer Home Affairs Systems. This should include recommendations of how to address marriages of convenience, foreigners applying for late registration of births, false birth registrations where people are after the child support grant and the marrying of people on computer. All these fraudulent practices occur, as there is nearly no systems security in the Department. The issue of photographers not being paid for services rendered is another example of bureaucratic systems that hampers good governance. A further example is the lack of integration of computer systems. An example of this is the fact that there is no link between refugee reception centres. A person whose application was rejected at one office can just go to another office and apply for refugee status. There is no way for the system to pick up that the applicant has been rejected at another office. The Department should fast track the implementation of new computer systems and software, as this is the soft underbelly of the Department in many instances. The Department’s audit and plans in this regard should be tabled to Parliament as a matter of urgency.

5.8 Provide parliament with a report on the reasons for the delay in implementing the Home Affairs National Identification System. The report should include clear timeframes as to the envisaged systems implementation.

5.9 Provide Parliament with the report of the recently completed audit on the need for civic services countrywide. The Departments proposals and recommendations for the provision of services in especially rural and disadvantaged areas should be forwarded to Parliament.

5.10 Revisit the systems that they implement when dealing with applications in rural and remote areas. Greater flexibility and a more integrated approach are important for the successful delivery of these services.

5.11 Address the issue of low staff morale as a matter of urgency. The department should report to Parliament on the progress of implementing a Performance Management System. Coupled to this, efforts should be made to ensure that managers and staff are multi-skilled and committed.

5.12 Continue to educate and train staff about the Batho Pele principles.

5.13 Deal with corruption in the harshest possible terms, which should include severe punishment for perpetrators.

5.14 Embark upon a special programme to address the general problem of incorrect ages and names in ID documents. The Department should go out of its way to deal with this problem in a decisive manner to ensure that this problem does not re-occur.

5.15 Ensure the continuation of the ID campaign at all levels. This should not only be for the period just before the elections, but should become part of the routine programme of the department. Oversight of the programme must also be continued.

5.16 Take the initiative and make it possible for the poor and desperate to acquire Ids. Ways should continuously be sought to provide free ID photos.