Description
Report On The Evaluation Of Service Delivery At The Department Of Home Affairs
i
Report on the Evaluation of Service
Delivery at the Department of Home Affairs:
Visa Applications and Port Control
December 2008
Published in the Republic of South Africa by:
THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (PSC)
Commission House
Cnr. Hamilton & Ziervogel Streets
Arcadia 0083
Private Bag X121
Pretoria 0001
Tel: (012) 352-1000
Fax: (012) 325-8382
Website: www.psc.gov.za
National Anti-Corruption Hotline Number: 0800 701 701 (Toll-Free)
Compiled by Branch: Monitoring and Evaluation
Distribution by Directorate: Communication and Information Services
Printed by: Creda Communications
ISBN: 978-0-621-3846-35
RP: 17/2009
ii
Foreword
The FIFA Soccer World Cup event will be hosted by South Africa in 2010.
Given that this is the second largest sporting event in the world (the frst being
the Olympics), South Africa can expect many visitors into the country. South
Africa’s readiness to receive the expected visitors and their experience within
the country will have a huge infuence on, amongst others, future tourism and
foreign investment. State institutions will play a critical role in the preparations,
the actual hosting and in efforts to sustain the positive impact of the event
beyond 2010.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is one of the departments that
have a critical role to play towards the successful hosting of this event, especially given that visitors’
frst experience of South Africa will be through interaction with it and, depending on the nature of this
experience, will leave them with an impression of the country and its people. The effectiveness and
effciency with which the Department facilitates the entry into and the exit of visitors from the Republic
of South Africa will be key in creating a positive perception amongst foreign visitors.
In 2008 a key focus of the PSC has been to assess the state of readiness of the Public Service for 2010 and
beyond. It is within this context that the PSC undertook a study to evaluate the visa applications as well
as port control processes of the DHA. These are likely to be key services the Department will render to
prospective visitors.
I am pleased to present this report on an Evaluation of the Department of Home Affairs’ Service Delivery
in terms of Visa Applications and Port Control Services. The report provides valuable information on the
Department’s state of readiness in terms of these services as well as an overview of the innovative plans
the Department has made in preparation for 2010.
I trust that the fndings and recommendations contained in this report will contribute further towards
improving the state of readiness of the DHA to meet the challenges of 2010.
PROF SS SANGWENI
CHAIRPERSON: PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
iii
Table of Contents
FOREWORD ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iii
LIST OF PICTURES iv
FIGURE iv
LIST OF TABLES iv
LIST OF ACRONYMS v
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY vi
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background to the Study 2
1.2 Mandate of the Public Service Commission 2
1.3 Objectives of the Study 3
1.4 Structure of the Report 3
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 4
2.1 Introduction 5
2.2 Scope of the Study 5
2.3 Methodology 5
2.4 Data Analysis 7
2.5 Limitations of the Study 7
CHAPTER 3: AN OVERVIEW OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS 9
3.1 Introduction 10
3.2 Legal Context of the Immigration Services included in the Study 10
3.3 Historical Context of the Department of Home Affairs’ Service Delivery Challenges 11
3.4 Current Strategy to address Service Delivery Challenges 18
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS 20
4.1 Introduction 21
4.2 Key Findings 21
4.2.1 Current State of service delivery in terms of processing visa applications and
managing Ports of Entry 21
iv
4.3 Degree to which the Department has put in place plans in preparation for the 2010
Fifa World Cup Events 24
4.3.1 Infrastructure Development 24
4.3.2 Strengthening Human Resources Capacity 25
4.3.3 Improving Business Processes 25
4.3.4 Promoting Communication 26
4.4 Progress the Department has made in the Implementation of the Plans for 2010 27
4.4.1 The Department has put in place Mechanisms for Monitoring the Implementation
of Plans for 2010 27
4.4.2 There are still Challenges and Constraints Experienced by the Department in
Implementing the Plans for 2010 27
4.4.2.1 A Huge Number of Visitors is Expected During 2010 34
4.4.4.2 An Increase in Visa Applications is Expected 28
4.4.4.3 An Increase in Inspectorate Functions is Expected 28
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 30
5.1 Introduction 31
5.2 Conclusion 31
5.3 Recommendations 32
5.3.1 Filling of Posts 32
5.3.2 Leadership Drive to Ensure Responsibility for Implementing Turnaround Plans 32
5.3.3 Monitoring and Evaluation 33
5.3.4 Process Guidelines on New Processes 33
5.3.5 Immigration Services Declared Critical Services 33
5.3.6 Sharing the Responsibility for the Performance of a Port of Entry 33
5.3.7 Improving Communication on the Products and Services of the Departments 33
LIST OF PICTURES
Picture 1: Public Area at Beit Bridge Port of Entry 23
Picture 2: Public Area at Oshoek Border Post 23
Picture 3: Four and a half kilometer queue of trucks at Beit Bridge 26
FIGURE
Figure 1: Increase in number of foreign arrivals from 2001 to 2010 (including estimations for
2008 to 2010) 28
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Ports of Entry Included in the Study 5
Table 2: Description of the Legislative Frameworkd that Inform the Functions of DHA 10
Table 3: Critical Ports of Entry for 2010 12
v
LIST OF ACRONYMS
ALOs Airline Liaison Offcers
API Advanced Passenger Information
APP Advanced Passenger Processing
AU African Union
BCOCC Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee
DAR Departmental Annual Report
DHA Department of Home Affairs
DOA Department of Agriculture
DOH Department of Health
FIFA Federation Internationale de Football Association
IST Interim Support Team
JCPS Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (Cluster)
LOC Local Organising Committee
MCS Movement Control System
NIA National Intelligence Agency
PAs Performance Agreements
PoE Port of Entry
PSC Public Service Commission
SADC Southern African Development Community
SANIA South African National Intelligence Agency
SAMP South African Migration Project
SAPS South African Police Service
SARS South African Revenue Services
SITA State Information Technology Agency
TAP Turnaround Programme
TBCSA Tourism Business Council of South Africa
VIP Very Important People
vi
Executive Summary
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
South Africa will be hosting both the 2009 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
Confederation Cup and the major soccer event on the international calendar, namely, the 2010 FIFA
Soccer World Cup. The 2010 Soccer World Cup Tourism Organising Plan
1
estimates that approximately
445 000 foreign visitors will enter the country to attend each of the two events. Given the size of the
event and its socio-economic considerations, state institutions play an important role in efforts to ensure
the successful hosting of the event and to sustain the positive impact of the event beyond 2010. The
Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will play a critical role in the hosting of these major events. Not only
is it required to process the legal entry of the many tourists expected in the country, but in most likelihood
it will be the frst interaction that visitors will have with the country.
Given the PSC’s focus on assessing the state of readiness of the Public Service for 2010 and beyond, it
decided to assess the visa application and port control processes of the DHA. The PSC’s broad aim of this
evaluation was to make recommendations to the Department about the effective and effcient processing
of visa applications and control of movement of people across the South African borders before, during
and after the abovementioned Soccer events.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main aim of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness with which the DHA manages the applications
for visas as well as Ports of Entry, and to make recommendations to promote the effectiveness and
effciency of these processes.
The specifc objectives of the project were to:
• Assess the quality of current service delivery by the Department of Home Affairs in terms of visa
applications and admitting foreign visitors into the country at Ports of Entry.
• Assess the degree to which the Department of Home Affairs has put in place plans, programmes,
processes and systems to effectively and effciently manage the visa application and foreign visitor
admittance processes in preparation for the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup and the 2010 FIFA World
Cup events.
• Assess whether these plans, programmes, processes and systems will contribute to the effective and
effcient management of the visa application and foreign visitor admittance processes.
• Establish how the implementation of these plans, programmes, processes and systems is monitored.
• Identify the challenges and constraints experienced by the Department in implementing these plans,
programmes, processes and systems.
• Provide feedback on progress with the implementation of relevant recommendations from previous
PSC reports on the Department.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study included the Visa Applications and Port Control Services of the Immigration
Branch of the DHA. These two functions of the DHA are central to the management of the movement
of foreign visitors into the Republic of South Africa.
1
Republic of South Africa. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. 2010 Soccer World Cup Tourism Organising Plan. 2005.
vii
METHODOLOGY
The processes followed in conducting this study included a literature review of key documents, development
of semi-structured questionnaires, interviews with relevant persons from DHA, in loco inspections of
selected Ports of Entry.
SAMPLING
The study applied a purposive sampling procedure. Attention was given to the ports that would be
most critical for the entry of people into South Africa for attending both the 2009 Confederation Cup
as the 2010 Soccer World Cup events. The DHA provided the PSC with a list of all Ports of Entry and a
representative sample was drawn from the list. The sample included fve (5) Land Border Posts shared
with each of South Africa’s neighbouring countries (except with Namibia
2
). Four (4) airports were also
included in the study.
Document Review
A review of all available information on the immigration function of the DHA was undertaken. Documents
such as the Department’s Annual Report (DAR), the Strategic Plan for 2005/06 – 2009/10, departmental
web-sites, speeches by various role players such as the Minister and the Director-General of Home Affairs
to identify challenges related to the areas included in the scope and progress the Department has made
in addressing these, were reviewed. Reports on the Department by various intervention teams were also
studied.
Data Collection Instruments
Two semi-structured questionnaires were developed to serve as data collection tools. One tool was to
collect data from managers of the Home Affairs offces at Ports of Entry and another tool to collect data
during the interviews with Provincial Managers of the Department. The data collection instruments for use
during the interviews with managers at the PoEs and the Provincial Managers sought to establish, among
others, the progress with preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the extent of the involvement of the
PoE management in these preparations and the challenges that are being faced.
Interviews
In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with managers of the identifed Ports of Entry and with
the Provincial Managers responsible for the sampled Ports of Entry.
Unannounced In Loco Inspections at Ports of Entry
Unannounced in loco inspections were carried out at the selected Ports of Entry. During unannounced in
loco inspections, the selected Ports of Entry (Land Ports of Entry and airports) were not alerted about the
visits. The main aim of the unannounced in loco inspections was to determine the Department’s current
performance and to establish the level of courtesy with which customers are handled.
Data Analysis
Data analysis commenced with a process of organising data into key themes and sub-themes. The themes
were developed according to the objectives of the study.
2
Ports of Entry from Namibia were not included in the study because of the small proportion of the soccer fraternity that is expected to enter South Africa through
any of the land border posts shared with Namibia, especially because Kimberley is not a host city for any of the two events.
viii
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The following limitations were identifed during the study:
The project team could not secure interviews with all relevant programme managers in the Department
because key posts in both Visas and Port Control services were vacant. Some senior managers were also
not available as a result of other offcial commitments.
The verifcation of information was hampered in some instances by the Department’s inability to release
documents because they were regarded as confdential in the sense that at the time of the study their
content was not yet for public consumption.
KEY FINDINGS
The following are the key fndings of the study:
Delays are experienced in the visa applications and port control processes
Delays in the visa applications process are experienced as a result of incomplete visa applications and not
as a result of inadequate capacity on the side of the Department. The study also found that there is a lack
of proper queue management systems at PoEs. The absence of such queue management systems often
leads to uncertainty amongst service users, regarding which queue to stand in.
The Department has put in place plans in preparation for the 2009 and 2010 FIFA World Cup events
It was found that the Department has developed detailed integrated plans (covering all relevant programmes
such as visa applications and port control) with regard to the 2009 and 2010 FIFA events. The plans
address the following critical priorities:
Infrastructure development
The Department plans to introduce a system that will allow the sharing of airline passenger data to
facilitate the pre-screening of passengers prior to their departure or arrival. The Department is also
working closely with the Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee (BCOCC) to ensure that
the basic infrastructure at the Ports of Entry is in place and maintained.
Strengthening human resources capacity
The Department is faced with critical challenges in the area of human resource management and capacity.
These include a high vacancy rate and posts that are not properly graded, among others. In order
to address these and other challenges in preparation for 2010, the Department has developed human
resource plans.
Improving business processes
The effectiveness of the current business processes of the Department is uneven, with visa applications
being managed better while the port control processes still manifest key weaknesses.
Promoting communication
All the efforts of the Department towards delivering improved services during the 2010 FIFA World Cup
may not amount to much unless they are accompanied by an effective awareness raising campaign which
informs the public about what is available as well as their responsibilities.
ix
The Department has made progress in the implementation of the plans for 2010
According to progress reports to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on 22 October 2008
3
, the Department
was on track in its implementation of critical measures to ensure its readiness to effectively and effciently
facilitate the movement of the estimated numbers of foreign arrivals at Ports of Entry in 2010. The study
found the following:
The Department has put in place mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of plans for 2010
The Department has, with the assistance of the Turnaround Programme (TAP), put plans in place to
address most of the challenges it has identifed in its preparations for 2010. However, no system could be
identifed at the offces visited that would be effectively and effciently monitoring the plans and the impact
such plans will have on service delivery and the performance of the PoEs.
There are still challenges and constraints experienced by the Department in implementing the plans
for 2010
The Department is still experiencing challenges and constraints in implementing plans for 2010. These
challenges include the huge number of visitors expected during 2010, the expected increase in visa
applications and the expected increase in Inspectorate functions.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The study identifed areas that need to be addressed to ensure that the Department succeeds in its
preparations for 2010 as well as its current turnaround attempts. The following are the key recommendations
of the study:
Process guidelines in terms of new processes should be available at ports of entry
Although it was indicated that Immigration Offcers will undergo training in terms of all the new processes
and systems applicable to the different offces (Land Border Posts and Airports), the Department should
ensure that the necessary procedure manuals and guidelines are available at the Ports of Entry where the
processes and systems are introduced. This will ensure consistency and effciency in the way customers
are handled at these offces.
Immigration services should be declared critical services
Immigration services have become specialised services and Immigration Offcers also undergo special
training. The effectiveness and effciency with which these services are carried out during the FIFA events
will have a defnite impact on the overall success of South Africa hosting the events. It is, therefore,
imperative that these services be declared critical services and that the necessary dispensation for
Immigration Offcers is introduced to ensure that unforeseen strikes amongst them do not debilitate the
Department’s Immigration Services during and after the 2010 FIFA event.
A proper monitoring and evaluation system should be introduced
A proper monitoring and evaluation system should be introduced to provide management with reliable
and up-to-date information on the performance of programmes, including the two programmes under
review in this study, namely, Visa Applications and Port Control Services. The system should further
enable the Department to track progress with the implementation of plans (including recommendations
of previous intervention teams).
3
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Report to the 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee. 22 October 2008.
x
There should be a focused leadership drive to ensure the implementation of the turnaround plans
It was noted that the Department has introduced measures to address many of the leadership and
management issues identifed in previous interventions and seems to have started employing top managers
with the necessary vision, skills and commitment that can drive the change processes towards ensuring
improved service delivery in preparations for 2010 and beyond. It is, however, not evident that this
drive is being fltered down to the rest of the senior management team as well as lower level offcials.
Ensuring that all managers understand their specifc role in the implementation of the turnaround plans
and capturing their responsibilities in this regard in their performance agreements, will help ensure that
the necessary changes are effected and the plans are fully implemented.
The responsibility for the performance of a port of entry should be shared between the departments
involved
The Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee should establish a subcommittee to address
issues of integrating service delivery and sharing responsibilities for the performance of PoEs. Only when
all the role players at a Port of Entry take full responsibility for the functions that they are mandated to
perform, will it succeed in facilitating the effective and effcient movement of goods and people across the
border.
11
Introduction
C
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2
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
South Africa will be hosting both the 2009 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
Confederation Cup and the major soccer event on the international calendar, namely, the 2010 FIFA
Soccer World Cup. The 2010 Soccer World Cup Tourism Organising Plan
4
estimates that approximately
445 000 foreign visitors will enter the country to attend each of the two events. Given the size of the
event and its socio-economic considerations, state institutions play a critical role in efforts to ensure the
successful hosting of the event and to sustain the positive impact of the event beyond 2010.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will play a critical role in the hosting of these major events. Not
only is it required to process the legal entry of the many tourists expected in the country but in most
likelihood it will be the frst interaction that visitors will have with the country. The DHA is, in terms of
the Immigration Act
5
, amongst others, mandated with regulating and monitoring the entry into, residence
within and departure of persons who wish to visit or stay in South Africa through issuing appropriate
permits or documents to applicants. Such documents include visas, work permits, study permits and
permanent residence permits. For foreign visitors to legally enter South Africa, they have to apply for visas
at the foreign offces of the DHA based in their respective home countries.
Apart from issuing appropriate permits or documents to prospective visitors to the country, the Department
also contributes to maintaining the integrity of the Republic of South Africa as a sovereign state through
detecting, arresting and deporting prohibited and undesirable persons through what is called port control
services. These actions further contribute to the combating of transnational crime(s). The Department
carries out these functions against the human rights framework provided in the Constitutive Act of the
African Union (AU)
6
on immigration matters and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Protocol on Tourism
7
.
Taken together, all these considerations underscore the important role the DHA will have to fulfll in the
build up to, during and after the 2010 Soccer World Cup event. Its effectiveness, effciency and courtesy
will be under the spotlight and will create an image in the visitors’ minds about the country, and will
infuence, amongst others, future tourism and foreign investment. Encouragingly, the DHA acknowledges
the implications of their role in that they stated that “in particular Home Affairs will be presented with
major challenges relating to the Soccer World Cup 2010 that will entail the effcient processing of the
millions of foreign soccer players and fans”
8
. The event does not only pose a challenge to the Department
to improve the facilitation of the entry processes, but also to improve border post security.
Given the PSC’s focus on assessing the state of readiness of the Public Service for 2010 and beyond, it
decided to assess the visa application and port control processes of the DHA. The PSC’s broad aim
of the PSC with this evaluation was to make recommendations to the Department about the effective
and effcient processing of visa applications and control of movement of people across the South African
borders before, during and after the abovementioned Soccer events.
1.2 MANDATE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
In Section 196 (4) (b) and (c) the Constitution, 1996
9
mandates the PSC to, amongst others, “investigate,
monitor and evaluate the organisation and administration, and the personnel practices, of the public
service” and to “propose measures to ensure effective and effcient performance within the Public Service”.
Section 195, inter alia, requires that “people’s needs be responded to” and that the “effcient, economic
and effective use of resources be promoted”.
In line with its constitutional mandate, the PSC decided to evaluate service delivery at the DHA, especially
focusing on Visa Applications and Port Control as critical services that will contribute signifcantly to South
Africa’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.
4
Republic of South Africa. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. 2010 Soccer World Cup Tourism Organising Plan. 2005.
5
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Immigration Act, No. 13 of 2002.
6
African Union. Constitutive Act of the African Union, 2000.
7
Southern African Development Community. Protocol on Tourism. 1998.
8
The Republic of South Africa. The Department of Home Affairs. 2005/06 – 2009/10 Strategic Plan.
9
The Republic of South Africa, The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Act 108 of 1996.
3
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main aim of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness with which the DHA manages the applications
for visas as well as Ports of Entry, and to make recommendations to promote the effectiveness and
effciency of these processes.
The specifc objectives of the project were to:
• Assess the quality of current service delivery by the Department of Home Affairs in terms of visa
applications and admitting foreign visitors into the country at Ports of Entry.
• Assess the degree to which the Department of Home Affairs has put in place plans, programmes,
processes and systems to effectively and effciently manage the visa application and foreign visitor
admittance processes in preparation for the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup and the 2010 FIFA World
Cup events.
• Assess whether these plans, programmes, processes and systems will contribute to the effective and
effcient management of the visa application and foreign visitor admittance processes.
• Establish how the implementation of these plans, programmes, processes and systems is monitored.
• Identify the challenges and constraints experienced by the Department in implementing these plans,
programmes, processes and systems.
• Provide feedback on progress with the implementation of relevant recommendations from previous
PSC reports on the Department.
In following up on the implementation of recommendations relevant to visa applications and port control
the following reports were considered:
• The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home
Affairs (January 2007)
10
. The Report emanated from the work of a Support Intervention Team (SIT)
which was constituted to assist the Department of Home Affairs on the key issues of Leadership
and Management, Human Resources, Information and Communication Technology, Service Delivery and
Financial Management. The Support Intervention Team comprised the Offce, the Department
of Public Service and Administration, the Auditor-General and the Department of Home Affairs.
The Report provides strategic considerations and recommendations emanating from the support
intervention. It also refects on the progress achieved since the start of the support intervention in
July 2006 to January 2007.
• The Consolidated Report on Inspections of Service Delivery Sites (August 2007)
11
with specifc reference
to the Section on the Department of Home Affairs. In an effort to monitor the transformation of
service delivery, the PSC embarked on a programme of inspecting service delivery sites. The broad
aim of these inspections was to assess the quality of services provided to the public and to determine
if departments are meeting the required service standards and the needs of citizens as users of these
services. This Report is a consolidation of fndings and recommendations arising from the inspections
that were conducted during 2005/2006 which included the Departments of Home Affairs, Labour,
Housing (Gauteng) and Social Development (Free State).
1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT
This report is structured in the following manner:
Chapter 2 describes the methodology that was applied in the study.
Chapter 3 discusses an overview of the Department of Home Affairs.
Chapter 4 presents the key fndings of the study.
Chapter 5 presents the conclusions and recommendations drawn from the study.
10
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. January 2007. Unpublished Report.
11
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Consolidated Report on Inspections of Service Delivery Sites. August 2007.
Methodology
C
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4
5
2.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter outlines the scope of the study and the research methodology that was used to collect data
on the visa applications and port control processes of the DHA. The chapter also presents the limitations
experienced during the study.
2.2 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study covered the Visa Applications and Port Control Services of the Immigration Branch
of the DHA. These two areas are key to the processing of the documentation of prospective foreign
visitors to the Republic of South Africa. For the purpose of understanding the context in which the two
services are carried out in the Department, the following is a brief overview of each of them:
2.2.1 Visa Applications
Any person who wants to enter the Republic has to apply for a visa. Once a visa is issued, it authorises a
prospective visitor to proceed from their respective home country to South Africa. A visa is only issued
after proper screening of the applicant is done to ensure that an undesirable person is not admitted to
the country. At the Port of Entry, a visa provides Immigration Offcers with the necessary information to
ensure that visitors are admitted for the correct purpose and period into South Africa.
2.2.2 Port Control Services
Foreign visitors enter or leave the country through a Port of Entry. At the port of entry there are offcials
who manage the process of entry and departure from the Republic. Foreign visitors will be concerned
about the effective and effcient handling of their physical entrance into South Africa and would like to have
a sense that their stay in the country will be a safe experience. The PSC, therefore, identifed the need to
include Port Control Services in this study.
2.3 METHODOLOGY
2.3.1 Sampling
The study applied a purposive sampling procedure. Such sampling seeks to select a section of the research
population which in the researcher’s judgement will provide the most useful information for the study.
Attention was given to the ports that would be most critical for the entry of people into South Africa for
attending both the 2009 Confederation Cup as the 2010 Soccer World Cup events. The DHA provided
the PSC with a list of all Ports of Entry and a representative sample was drawn from the list. The sample
included fve (5) Land Border Posts shared with each of South Africa’s neighbouring countries (except
with Namibia
12
). Four (4) airports were also included in the study. Table 1 below refects the Ports of
Entry included in this study.
Table 1: Ports of Entry Included in the Study
13
LAND PORTS OF ENTRY AIRPORTS
Oshoek (from Swaziland) Cape Town
Maseru Bridge (from Lesotho) Johannesburg
Lebombo (from Mozambique) Durban
13
Skilpadshek (from Botswana) Kruger International
Beitbridge (from Zimbabwe)
12
Ports of Entry from Namibia were not included in the study because of the small proportion of the soccer fraternity that is expected to enter South Africa through
any of the land border posts shared with Namibia, especially because Kimberley is not a host city for any of the two events.
13
Although the Durban Airport was included in the sample, an inspection at this Airport would be ineffectual in terms of compiling data since a new Airport is currently
being built where the planned processes and systems will be introduced.
6
2.3.2 Data Collection Process
A combination of data collection methods was applied during the study. These methods included the
review of relevant documents, interviews with offcials who served as key sources of information in the
Department and unannounced in loco inspections at identifed Ports of Entry.
2.3.2.1 Document Review
A review of all available information on the immigration function of the DHA was undertaken. Documents
such as the Department’s Annual Report (DAR), the Strategic Plan for 2005/06 – 2009/10, departmental
web-sites, speeches by various role players such as the Minister, the Director-General, the Chairperson
of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs and the President of the Republic of South Africa to identify
challenges related to the areas included in the scope and progress the Department has made in addressing
these, were reviewed. Reports on the Department by various intervention teams
14
were also studied.
Furthermore, at the time of the study, the Department was in the process of addressing service delivery
challenges through the support of a Turnaround Team. The plans, prospective processes and systems
that the Department intended to implement to improve the current situation were requested from the
Department and perused to establish their intended impact and cost effciency on the visa applications
and port control services.
2.3.2.2 Interviews
In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with managers of the identifed Ports of Entry and with
the Provincial Managers responsible for the sampled Ports of Entry.
2.3.2.3 Unannounced In Loco Inspections at Ports of Entry
Unannounced in loco inspections were carried out at the selected Ports of Entry (See Table 1 at par
2.3.1 on page 6 above for a list of PoEs included in the study). During unannounced in loco inspections,
the selected Ports of Entry (Land Ports of Entry and airports) were not alerted about the visits. The main
aim of the unannounced in loco inspections was to determine the Department’s current performance and
to establish the level of courtesy with which customers are handled. This was to ensure that processes
and performance of the Home Affairs offces at Ports of Entry could be observed in their daily state.
During such unannounced in loco inspections at the different Ports of Entry, PSC offcials queued as normal
customers and proceeded through the normal exit process to observe the handling of customers and the
performance of the counter offcials frst-hand and objectively.
2.3.2.4 Data Collection Instruments
Two semi-structured questionnaires were developed to serve as data collection tools. One tool was to
collect data from managers of the Home Affairs offces at Ports of Entry and another tool to collect data
during the interviews with Provincial Managers of the Department.
The following were the key elements contained in the data collection instrument used during the interviews
with managers at the PoEs:
• Organisational arrangements (including plans/processes/systems) to deal with the entry of foreign
nationals with the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
• The involvement of the PoE management in the organisational arrangements.
• The plans/new systems and processes were preceded by a thorough analysis of infrastructure, human
resources and processes at the PoEs.
• Availability of training on the new processes and systems and procedure manuals.
14
Intervention teams referred to include the South African Migration Project (SAMP) (2004), the Turnaround Strategy (2004/05), the Interim Support Team (IST)
(2006/07), Inspections into Home Affairs service delivery sites (2007) and Customer Satisfaction Surveys at the Department of Home Affairs (2007).
7
• The issue of integration of services of the different departments at the PoEs.
• Physical, operational and structural arrangements at the PoEs (including layout of offces, process
management and infrastructure issues).
• The Department’s current retention strategy in terms of PoEs.
• Courtesy issues (e.g. monitoring and evaluation of frontline staff and training).
• Current delays and constraints.
• Processes followed in reporting progress to Head Offce.
• Functionality of systems in reporting statistics.
The data collection instrument used during the interviews with Provincial Managers addressed the
following issues:
• The current process of admitting foreign visitors into the country at the Ports of Entry.
• The plans, programmes, processes and or systems the Department has put in place to effectively
and effciently manage the foreign visitor admittance processes in preparation for the 2009/2010 FIFA
events.
• The process followed in compiling these plans and processes (Who was involved, how inputs were
requested).
• How the Department intended to monitor the implementation of these plans, programmes, processes
and or systems to ensure that the objectives are achieved.
• Any challenges that were foreseen in terms of achieving the objectives/implementation of the plans/
processes/systems.
• Recommendations made to the BCOCC with regard to the above challenges.
• Progress made with the implementation of these recommendations.
2.4 DATA ANALYSIS
Data analysis commenced with a process of organising data into key themes and sub-themes. The themes
were developed according to the objectives of the study.
The themes covered:
• The current process of admitting foreign visitors at Land Border Posts.
• The Department’s plans in preparation for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup event.
• The process followed in compiling plans for 2010.
• Progress made with the implementation of the Department’s 2010 plans.
• Mechanisms the Department has in place to monitor the implementation of the plans of the
Department.
• Challenges identifed as key to the preparations of the Department for 2009 and 2010.
Data analysis ensured the integration of data collected through the two different tools.
2.5 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The following limitations were identifed during the study:
• A considerable amount of time was lost waiting for the Department to identify key informants to be
interviewed by the PSC in the study.
• The project team could not secure interviews with all relevant programme managers in the Department
because key posts in both Visas and Port Control services were vacant. Some senior managers were
also not available as a result of other offcial commitments.
• Full reports on previous interventions were not in all cases available. Although some of the individual
intervention team members could be traced, no formal documented reports could be obtained.
• Although the Department had plans in place for the 2009/2010 FIFA events, none of these had been
fully implemented with the result that the impact could not be established. The study, therefore, had
to rely on estimations in terms of impact and cost benefts of these plans.
8
• The verifcation of information was hampered in some instances by the Department’s inability to
release documents because they were regarded as confdential in the sense that at the time of the
study their content was not yet for public consumption.
9
C
h
a
p
t
e
r
T
h
r
e
e
9
An Overview of the
Department of Home Affairs
10
3.1 INTRODUCTION
Over the years, the DHA has encountered many challenges. It is for this reason that any assessment
into the functions of the Department cannot ignore such context. Primarily, this is because through
understanding the challenges, one can get a proper appreciation of the efforts undertaken by the
Department to overcome them and a more holistic picture of its performance. In this spirit, this chapter
provides an overview of the interventions implemented to assist the Department to overcome service
delivery challenges. The recommendations contained in such reports are also provided. The recurring
challenges, specifcally with regard to Visa Applications and Port Control services, are highlighted to ensure
a better understanding of the scale of the challenge the Department has to deal with in their preparations
for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
3.2 LEGAL CONTEXT OF THE IMMIGRATION SERVICES INCLUDED IN THE
STUDY
The Department of Home Affairs derives its mandate from the Constitution of the Republic
15
. The
founding provisions of the Constitution outline citizenship in the South African context, and the equality
imperative. In meeting this constitutional imperative, DHA must affrm the identity of all citizens and
enable them to exercise their rights and responsibilities. Given South Africa’s past, the Department is
expected to carry out its mandate in a manner that promotes access to services, supports democracy and
contributes to social and economic development in the country. Table 2 below broadly refects the key
pieces of legislation the DHA has to meet to fulfll its mandate, particularly as it pertains to civic affairs,
immigration services and status of refugees.
Table 2: Description of the Legislative Frameworks that inform the functions of
DHA
16
CONSTITUTION/PRESCRIPT DESCRIPTION
The Constitution of the Republic of South
Africa, Act 108, 1996
16
.
Chapter 1, Section 3 states the following:
“(1) There is a common South African citizenship.
(2) All citizens are:
• Equally entitled to the rights, privileges and benefts
of citizenship; and
• Equally subject to the duties and responsibilities of
citizenship.
(3) National legislation must provide for the acquisition,
loss and restoration of citizenship.”
Chapter 2: Bill of Rights, Section 20 states:
“No citizen may be deprived of citizenship.”
Section 21 states:
“(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave the Republic.
(3) Every citizen has the right to enter, to remain in and to
reside everywhere in, the Republic.
(4) Every citizen has the right to a passport.”
(These 2 sections are subject to Section 33 of Chapter
2).
15
Republic of South Africa. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Act No. 108 of 1996.
16
Republic of South Africa. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Act No. 108 of 1996.
11
Immigration Act, No 13, 2002.
17
The Act provides for the regulation of admission of
persons to, their residence in, and their departure from
the Republic and for matters connected therewith.
According to the Act, the following are the functions of
the DHA:
• The control of movement of people in and out of
South Africa through:
• controlling admissions into and departures from
South Africa at designated Ports of Entry (PoEs),
• issuing Visas to facilitate the movement of people
in and out of South Africa, and
• issuing of permits to facilitate residence in South
Africa.
• The detection, detention and deportation of illegal
foreigners.
• The administration of applications for asylum.
Immigration Amendment Act, No 19 of
2004.
18
Section 9 (1) states that “no person shall enter or depart
from the Republic at a place other than a port of entry”.
Section 9 (3) states that “no person shall enter or depart
from the Republic unless in possession of a valid passport
…”
United Nations Convention Relating to the
Status of Refugees
19
.
The Convention sets out the rights of individuals who
are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations
that grant asylum. The Convention also provides for
visa-free travel for holders of travel documents issued
under the convention.
DHA Enterprise Architecture Manuals (Visa
Applications and Admissions)
20
The manuals provide guidelines on the visa applications
and port control services processes.
The current study focuses on the Immigration functions of DHA as refected in the table above. The
functions include the control of the movement of foreigners in and out of South Africa at designated Ports
of Entry, and the issuance of Visas to facilitate this movement of foreigners through the country’s borders.
17
18
19
20
3.3 HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS’ SERVICE
DELIVERY CHALLENGES
The DHA interfaces with the lives of citizens from the “cradle to the grave”. Through this interaction it
handles birth, marriage and death certifcates, including Identity Documents and Passports. In addition, it
deals with visas for visitors to the country, work permits for foreigners and documents for refugees and
asylum seekers. Given this central role, it is constantly in the public eye and its performance is under
intense scrutiny.
Unfortunately, through the years, the Department has been faced with many service delivery challenges,
and much negative feedback on the rate and quality of its services. Perceptions of its ineffciency abound in
the public eye, and media reports suggest that both South African citizens and foreign customers regularly
complain about the poor quality of services delivered by the Department
21
. It has also not escaped the
scrutiny of the South African courts, where a Cape High Court judge questioned how much longer the
Department would be ‘allowed to remain dysfunctional’ before ‘getting its act together’
22
In 2007, the
Cape Immigration Compass reported that “the apparent lack of service delivery at the department of
17
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Immigration Act, Act No. 13 of 2002.
18
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Immigration Ammendment Act.. Act No. 19 of 2004.
19
United Nations. Convention Relating to the Status of refugees and Stateless Persons. Resolution 429 (v) of 14 December 1950. 28 July 1951.
20
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. DHA Enterprise Architecture. Admissions. 2006
21
Cape Argus. Ella Smook. “Home Affairs needs monitor with a whip”. 19 February 2008.
22
De Gaulle Kiliko and others vs the Minister of Home Affairs and others; case no. 2730/05 in the Cape High Court, 2005.
12
Home Affairs has driven a local business that specialises in immigration to address its concerns to the
President”
23
about the situation becoming disastrous.
Much of the perceptions about DHA have been borne out by empirical data. In her budget speech on
30 May 2006
24
, the Minister of Home Affairs, Ms N Mapisa-Nqakula, also admitted that the Department
was facing serious challenges as far as service delivery is concerned. She raised “serious weaknesses the
Department was experiencing at organisational and policy levels and the fact that such weaknesses had
a negative impact on the ability of the Department to function effectively”
25
and identifed the need for
external assistance in addressing such challenges. Stemming from such a request, the Director-General
of the Offce of the Public Service Commission (OPSC) led a Support Intervention Team comprising the
OPSC, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and the Auditor-General
26
.
Apart from its involvement in this intervention, the PSC has also conducted research in the Department.
Two of these research studies were Inspections of Public Service Delivery Sites
27
during 2006/2007 and
a Citizen Satisfaction Survey which included the Department of Home Affairs during the same fnancial
year
28
. The PSC commented mainly on the rate and quality of service delivery of the Department. For
example, the PSC in its Consolidated Report on Inspections of Public Service Delivery Sites
29
reported
that the service users at the Johannesburg International Airport indicated that they had been in the
queues for more than three (3) hours. Turnaround times were also reported in the same report as being
problematic with clients having to return to offces more than fve times without receiving the documents
they had applied for.
In addition to these PSC studies, in 2001 the DHA conducted an evaluation of its service delivery quality
and its service standards
30
. Table 3 below refects the main issues addressed in the above three research
studies as well as the main recommendations from each.
Table 3: Synopsis of Issues and Recommendations Relevant to this Study made in
the Research Studies in the DHA
RESEARCH STUDY
MAIN ISSUES
ADDRESSED MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
South African Migration
Project (SAMP), 2001
Service Delivery Quality
Performance and Service
Standards
• Training programmes and other measures
needed to be put in place to ensure that
particularly front line staff had a more
in-depth understanding and knowledge
of the legislation administered by the
Department.
• Batho Pele implementation had to be
strengthened.
• Customer Satisfaction should be
measured on a continuous basis.
23
www.immigration-south-africa.co.za/cape-town/immigration-news/home-affairs. Home Affairs service is “catastrophic”. 5 July 2007.
24.
www.home-affairs.gov.za/speeches Address by Hon NN Mapisa Nqakula on the occasion of the presentation of the 2006 Budget Vote of the department of Home
Affairs (Budget Vote 4), 2006, May 30 Cape Town 30 May 2006.
25
Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. Budget Vote of the Department of Home Affairs. 2006.
26
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
27
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Consolidated Report on Inspections of Public Service Delivery Sites. August 2007.
28
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Citizen Satisfaction Survey 2006/2007: Department of Home Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry and
Transport Services by Provincial Departments. 2007.
29
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Consolidated Report on Inspections of Public Service Delivery Sites. August 2007.
30
South African Migration Project. The Quality of Migration Service Delivery in South Africa. 2004.
13
RESEARCH STUDY
MAIN ISSUES
ADDRESSED MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
Consolidated Report
on Inspections of Public
Service Delivery Sites,
2006
31
Assess the quality of services
provided to the public and
determine if departments
are meeting the required
service standards and the
needs of the people using
the service.
• The Department has to review its policy
on the employment of interns in critical
positions.
• Vacant posts had to be flled as a matter
of urgency.
• The Department needed to employ
foor walkers for escorting citizens to
appropriate counters on arrival.
• Concerns of staff regarding the grading of
certain key posts needed to be further
investigated.
• The Department had to ensure the
implementation of its PMDS.
• The need to professionalise immigration
services to entrench loyalty and raise
staff ’s morale, was identifed.
• Security had to be strengthened especially
at Johannesburg International Airport and
Marabastad Immigration offces.
Citizen Satisfaction
Survey 2006/2007: De-
partment of Home
Affairs, Department
of Trade and Industry
and Transport Services
by Provincial Depart-
ments
32
Level of satisfaction of
service users.
• When planning new service points, the
Department had to take the accessibility
and safety of such locations into account.
• The implementation of service delivery
improvement plans by the Department
had to be speeded up, and the service
call centre had to come into operation.
• Structures and systems had to be
developed as a matter of urgency
and implemented to ensure internal
communication and consultation between
the management of service points and
other operational components in the
Department.
• Adequate systems needed to be
established to promote consultation
between the Department and citizens
to ensure that the needs of internal
and external clients are responded to
effectively and effciently.
• The number of staff on duty at each
individual service point had to be
determined scientifcally by professional
consultants, and had to be implemented
as soon as possible.
• The Department had to assess work
processes in order to determine the most
effective and effcient way to deliver the
required documentation.
31
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Ccnsolidate Report on Inspections of Public Service Delivery Sites. August 2007.
32
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Citizen Satisfaction Survey 2006/2007. Department of Home Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry and
Transport Services by Provincial Departments. 2007
14
RESEARCH STUDY
MAIN ISSUES
ADDRESSED MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
• Administrative procedures for control
and tracking of applications had to be
formalised and implemented.
• Technical support for all work processes
had to be upgraded and maintained
effciently.
• The Department had to develop a
formalised complaints handling system.
• An effective system to monitor these
complaints had to be implemented
31
Obviously, the above research studies are not the only studies carried out in the Department. They are
specifcally mentioned to indicate the research history the PSC has in the Department and to contextualise
its understanding of the challenges facing the Department.
32
Apart from such evaluations, there have been specifc targeted interventions into the DHA. It is important
again for contextual reasons, to highlight the more recent interventions. Table 4 below provides an
overview of these interventions and the broad recommendations made from such interventions.
Table 4: Synopsis of Issues and Recommendations Relevant to this Study made in
Previous Interventions in the DHA
33
32
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Citizen Satisfaction Survey 2006/2007. Department of Home Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry and
Transport Services by Provincial Departments. 2007
33
Turnaround Strategy. DHA Turnaround Programme and Projects Review: May/June 2004. Unpublished document.
INTER-
VENTIONS
SINCE 2004 OVERVIEW OF INTERVENTIONS
Turnaround
Strategy
(TAS),
2004
33
.
The Director-General in the DHA initiated a Turnaround Strategy in September
2003 at a management meeting with a view of the overall improvement of internal
capacity and service delivery challenges he identifed during his visits to some of the
DHA offces. One offcial was seconded from the DPSA to assist the Department.
Strategic challenges were identifed and grouped into ten (10) critical intervention areas,
namely, Immigration, Civic Services, Service Delivery, Leadership and
Management, People, Infrastructure, Finance and Procurement,
Information Technology, Counter Corruption and the Government
Printing Works.
In April 2004 the DHA appointed additional programme and project management
capacity under the auspices of the IBM consortium to support the TAS. The TAS was
also integrated into the 2004 departmental Business Plan.
Main recommendations from the TAS intervention:
• The immigration processes had to be reviewed with the aim of eliminating red tape
and enhancing effciency.
• The Department should reorganize itself to provide for an Immigration Branch
alongside the Civic Services Branch. This reorganisation would require the refnement
of personnel and logistical matters.
• The Department had to establish a Client Service Centre which can be utilised by
clients as well as departmental offces to check the status of applications and to
troubleshoot problems.
• The management team should be strengthened to ensure more in depth reporting
on progress.
15
INTER-
VENTIONS
SINCE 2004 OVERVIEW OF INTERVENTIONS
• The DHA management should be able to manage change and prevent the organisation
to stagnate.
• The Department should develop a personnel recruitment and replenishment
strategy to ensure that critical posts are flled. In the longer term, the Department
should develop an integrated human resource strategy to recruit, retain and develop
the right number of staff, with the right skills and the right equity profle.
• The Department should terminate the over-utilisation of volunteers.
• To end the practice of critical vacancies remaining vacant for extended periods of
time and staff members being appointed in acting capacities for which they might be
ill-equipped, employees with potential should be identifed to take up supervisory
and management positions when the latter become vacant.
• The Department should ensure that the PMDS translates the strategic plan of the
Department into operational plans and individual performance agreements.
• The Department should do an audit of the location, condition and equipment of each
offce. A basic standard for all offces in relation to client-management, workfow
and signage had to be developed.
• The Department should launch a national volunteer campaign to implement the
standard signage that will form part of the Department’s corporate identity.
• The Department had to ensure that arrangements were made for the acquisition of a
new head Offce building that could accommodate all the functions of the Department
in one building.
• Document management and workfow management systems needed to be put in
place.
• In order to provide fully computerised, client-centred services it will be necessary
to test, design and implement enterprise-wide platforms and communication
capabilities.
• Security standards needed to be developed to ensure data integrity.
Support
Intervention
Team (SIT)
2007
34
.
The Minister of Home Affairs identifed the need for external assistance to address challenges
the DHA was facing in her budget speech on 30 May 2006. A Support Intervention
Team, comprising the OPSC, the DPSA, the Accountant General (AG) and the DHA
was established to address the issues raised by the Minister and the Portfolio Committee.
The Intervention focused on fve areas, namely, Leadership and
Management, Human Resources, Information and Communication
Technology, Service Delivery and Financial Management.
Main recommendations of the SIT:
• Leadership and management capacity should be strengthened by including
competency-based assessments in the selection and appointment process of all
Senior Management Service (SMS) members.
• The Department should instill a culture of governance, ethics and compliance
across the department through ongoing training and development and should take
disciplinary steps against SMS members who fail to adhere to legislative frameworks
of the Public Service.
• A proper monitoring and evaluation system should be put in place to ensure that
management takes informed decisions.
• The recruitment and selection process needs priority attention and an external
service provider should be appointment to ensure that funded vacant posts are flled
as soon as possible.
34
The fnal report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007
16
INTER-
VENTIONS
SINCE 2004 OVERVIEW OF INTERVENTIONS
• A coherent ICT strategy should be developed. The Department should consolidate
and fast-track the implementation for short term initiatives that aims at addressing
critical service delivery pressures.
• The Department should consider the establishment of a separate budget programme for
information services in the budget of the Department in order to improve transparency
and accountability in the use of funds specifcally for IT and related services.
• The Department should ensure that programme managers set priorities and
time frames for projects and ensure the necessary synergies across business
units. Performance Agreements of managers fully refect their programme and
project responsibilities to facilitate accountability for implementing key turnaround
programmes.
• Project managers should further undergo project management training.
• Consideration should be given to decentralising certain services to regional offces to
improve the interface with the public.
The table above highlights the key issues that have been recurring in the Department since 2004. The
following are the key issues raised:
34
3.3.1 High Vacancy rate
The intervention reports have raised the issue of the high vacancy rate in the Department and how
it affects the service delivery of the Department. Among the positions that were vacant, were senior
positions e.g. those of programme managers at Chief Director level. In some instances posts had been
vacant for more than two years with no indication of when they would be flled. Vacant management
positions also hampered the implementation of programmes and plans to address challenges.
It was recommended in the Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in
the Department of Home Affairs
35
that the Department appoint an external service provider to assist it
in flling its funded vacant posts. Ensuring that all vacant posts are flled as a matter of urgency was also
supported by the Turnaround Strategy
36
.
3.3.2 Implementation of a Performance Management Development System
Both of the intervention reports on the Department referred to the fact that although a Performance
Management Development System (PMDS) had been introduced, it was not rigourously implemented
to ensure that all offcials are regularly assessed. Performance of Senior Managers had also not been
linked to the Key Result Areas and Core Management Criteria in the Performance Agreements. The
Performance Agreements of the programme managers did not refect their responsibilities with regard
to the implementation of turnaround programmes which meant that they could not be held accountable
for the implementation of these programmes and projects. The failure to implement a PMDS hampers
the assessment of achieving key objectives and outputs. According to the reports, managers also did not
understand their specifc role in the implementation of the PMDS and staff indicated that the fact that they
had not been assessed contributed to low staff morale.
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of
Home Affairs
37
recommended that the Department had to ensure that managers in the Department
take responsibility for the effective implementation of the PMDS. It was also recommended that the
Department should ensure that Senior Managers are subjected to competency assessments as part of the
selection process.
34
The fnal report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007
35
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
36
Turnaround Strategy. DHA Turnaround Programme and Projects Review. May/June 2004. Unpublished document.
37
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
17
3.3.3 Posts are not Properly Graded
Both intervention reports identifed the grading of Immigration Offcer posts in particular as problematic.
The incumbents of these posts form a very important link in the service delivery chain as frst contact
point for foreign visitors to the country. The offcials also deal with port security matters where the
country’s security is at stake. Previous efforts to address this issue have apparently not been successful
and have left the Department with problems in its reporting structure where supervisors and offcers are
now on the same post level.
The Turnaround Strategy
38
and the SIT recommended that the Department should ensure that staffng
capacity is brought up to levels where effective and effcient service delivery could be ensured. In this
regard job evaluation outcomes of posts of Immigration Offcer at levels 7 – 12 were approved by the
Minister in November 2006
39
.
3.3.4 Lack of Monitoring and Evaluation
No clear monitoring and evaluation system could be identifed by any of the intervention reports. The
absence of a M&E system suggests that the Department had not integrated measures into its planning
and operational processes to track progress or to indicate where changes need to be effected. A proper
monitoring and evaluation system would have enabled the department to assess its performance with
regard to its programmes on a continuous basis and to pre-empt the need for corrective action where
performance was not according to plans.
The SIT recommended in the Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in
the Department of Home Affairs
40
that a proper monitoring and evaluation system be put in place. The
Turnaround Strategy
41
recommended that such a system should, apart from programme performance also
monitor staff ’s attitudes.
3.3.5 Information Technology Systems are not Integrated
Since the 2004 intervention, the Department had developed an Information Technology Strategy.
However, the strategy was still identifed as dysfunctional because it did not link all systems and could not
provide the Department with real-time information. This is the information needed to take decisions
about the risk in the admission of a person into the country based on previous encounters with the person
in question. Having real-time information available at the service point will speed up decisions on such
admission.
The SIT recommended in the Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention
in the Department of Home Affairs
42
that the Department should develop an integrated Information
Technology Strategy. It further recommended that the Department should fast-track the implementation
of short term initiatives that were aimed at addressing critical service delivery pressures.
3.3.6 Inadequate Infrastructure
Both of the intervention reports on the Department also highlighted the challenges the Department
faces in terms of infrastructure issues such as physical status, the inconsistency in terms of quality and
procedures being followed in rendering services and the absence of a basic standard with regard to
customer management, signage and process fow measures. Infrastructure provides a key framework for
the Department to render its services and the impact of the inadequate infrastructure was often evident
in the poor quality of service delivery. The inability to manage queues and work processes often led to
long queues, customers being sent from one counter to another and (customer) complaints of ineffciency.
38
Turnaround Strategy. DHA Turnaround Programme and Projects Review. May/June 2004. Unpublished document.
39
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
40
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
41
Turnaround Strategy. DHA Turnaround Programme and Projects Review. May/June 2004. Unpublished document.
42
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
18
3.4 CURRENT STRATEGY TO ADDRESS SERVICE DELIVERY CHALLENGES
In 2007, the DHA appointed a Turnaround Programme (TAP) to provide technical support to the
Department in addressing its service delivery challenges while also planning for the challenges the future
would hold. After the previous interventions in the Department, there could be scepticism around this
current intervention. Comfort is, however, drawn from the fact that this is not seen as a reinvention of the
wheel but rather as building on the research and recommendations of the previous interventions as well
as the lessons learnt from these. The Minister of Home Affairs said as much when she indicated that this
current intervention is in the second phase
43
of what had been done in terms of SIT. This report found
the following:
• “A lack of strategic leadership and management capability;
• The Department still lacks a cohesive management team capable of driving its transformation agenda;
• A lack of urgency and adherence to deadlines; and
• A general crisis response to problems due to poor management.”
TAP focuses mainly on the key themes refected in Table 5 below.
Table 5: Issues outlined in the Turnaround Programme
44
KEY THEMES SPECIFIC ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED
Service Delivery Concept of citizen or customer as “king”.
Cumbersome business management processes.
Loss of key people on a regular basis.
Corruption, Security and Risk Low motivation, poor supervision.
Infringement of standard business rules and breach of security.
Aversion to technology.
Scant attention to risk management.
Weak management and control processes.
Organisational Structure and
People
Steeply hierarchical management structure.
Over-centralised decision making.
Limited business understanding: who is the customer?
Inappropriate training.
Limited management skills.
IT and Facilities Unstable IT and communication infrastructure.
Inadequate infrastructure rollout to local and international offces.
Systems not linked to one another (e.g. Border Post immigration
Systems).
Duplication of systems and information (silo-based approach) which is
costly and effects security.
Inappropriate offces layout and limited footprint.
Rudimentary asset management practices.
43
Change Agents. Financial Mail. 5 December 2008.
44
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Presentation to Business Unit, South Africa. Building a new Home Affairs. 4 April 2008.
19
The issues addressed in Table 5 above were identifed by the TAP and are critical to the functioning of
the DHA. Accordingly, these issues have been built into the DHA 2010 Plan
45
as well as the Department’s
Strategic Plan for 2008/09 – 2010/11
46
. They also resonate with the recurring challenges identifed earlier
in this Chapter. It is, however, important to note that the above list is only a summary of the issues
addressed by TAP and is by no means a comprehensive list of all the issues addressed in the Programme.
Once these critical issues are successfully addressed, they could go a long way towards ensuring a more
sustainable solution to the challenges affecting the Department. Given this possibility it was important for
this study to interact with the plans and assess progress made to date. At the same time the study was
mindful of the fact that many actions to address the challenges are in progress and a defnitive view on
their possible success rate will not be possible. However, progress on plans relevant to visa applications
and visitor admittance processes are covered in Chapter 4 including progress on the implementation of
the plans for 2010.
45
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. 2010 Plan. 2008.
46
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Strategic Plan 2008/09 – 2010/11.
Findings
C
h
a
p
t
e
r
F
o
u
r
20
21
4.1 INTRODUCTION
The chapter presents an analysis of the key fndings of the study. The fndings are presented according to
the following key themes derived from the objectives of the study:
• Current state of service delivery in terms of processing visa applications and managing Ports of Entry.
• Degree to which the Department has put in place plans, programmes, processes and or systems
to effectively and effciently manage the visa application and foreign visitor admittance processes in
preparation for the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup events.
• Progress the Department has made in the implementation of the plans for 2010.
Critical issues from previous reports on the two functions under review in the study namely, visa applications
and port control, were also considered in the presentation and analysis of the fndings.
4.2 KEY FINDINGS
4.2.1 Current State of Service Delivery in terms of Processing Visa Applications and Managing
Ports of Entry
The study sought to establish the Department’s current processes of visa applications and admitting foreign
visitors into the country at Ports of Entry and to determine any delays or constraints in the processes. The
study found the following with regard to visa applications and port control services:
4.2.1.1 Delays are experienced in the visa applications process
The Department has a clear step by step process for the processing of visa applications as well as service
standards to be adhered to. In terms of these service standards the following seven steps should be
completed within a period of fve working days
47
.
1. Locally Recruited Personnel (LRP) accepts application.
2. Application scrutinised for completeness of submitted documents.
3. Application registered and captured on Visa System.
4. DHA transferred offcial scrutinises application, does the necessary investigation and arranges for an
interview with applicant (if necessary).
5. Visa approved and issued (if all requirements are met and no negative information found).
6. Records closed.
7. Passport and visa collected by applicant.
Note: Steps 1 – 3 are carried out by offcials recruited from the country in which the specifc foreign
DHA offce is based. Steps 4 and 5 are carried out by a South African DHA offcial based at the foreign
offce.
In essence, therefore, the applicant should be in possession of his/her visa within 5 days of lodging their
applications. However, the Department has admitted that in some instances delays are experienced.
Such delays are usually caused by incomplete application forms and the absence of required supporting
documents. In such instances, the Department ends up spending more time on step 2 (application
scrutinized for completeness of submitted documents) as the rest of the process depends on the availability
of all the necessary information. This negatively impacts on the smooth processing of steps in the above
mentioned process. Inevitably, incomplete applications are sent back to the applicants who are then
required to supply the Department with the necessary supporting documents. In such instances, the fve
day turnaround time is not complied with.
With the increase in prospective visitors expected to visit South Africa for 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup
and the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, it is likely that there would be a greater infux of visa applicants. It is
47
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. DHA Enterprise Architecture. Administer Admissions. 2006.
22
also likely that as people will be in a hurry to get their visa applications processed, there may be an increase
in the number of incomplete documents submitted and with this the concomitant delays. An encouraging
observation in this regard is that when delays are experienced, they are not primarily as a result of poor
service delivery on the part of the Department. Indeed, indications are that the Department is currently
managing to process visa applications on time
48
. For example, during 2007/08 the Department issued
558 375 visas and rejected 7 578 visa applications, and 95% of these were processed within the fve (5)
day standard turnaround time. However, while the current capacity may be adequate for now, it can
be expected that there will be a high volume of visa applications during 2010 and that more capacity
will be required to ensure that the 5-day turn around standard is maintained. In terms of the plans the
Department has put in place for 2010, there is provision to bring on board additional staff to assist in this
regard.
4.2.1.2 The Department’s systems are not integrated or linked to one another
The Department’s systems are not integrated and linked to one another and to the databases of other
departments. For example, when a foreign visitor applies for a visa to enter South Africa while in his/her
country, his/her details are only captured on the Visa System at the foreign DHA offce. However, these
details are not in turn transmitted to the Movement Control System (MCS) which inter alia provides
information on risks that a prospective visitor holds for the country. A visitor’s information is only captured
on the MCS once they arrive at a Port of Entry. It is, therefore, possible that an undesirable person
49
can be issued with a visa in his/her home country and only be discovered when he/she arrives at a South
African Port of Entry. With identity theft being on the increase globally
50
it is possible under these
circumstances that an innocent person with a legitimate visa could be incorrectly identifed as undesirable
and refused entry to the country. If the Department’s systems are integrated it will be possible to do the
necessary cross-checks on time and to avoid such unnecessary inconveniences.
4.2.1.3 Delays are experienced in the Port Control Process
There are six (6) steps that must be followed in the port control process where foreign visitors enter the
Republic. These steps
51
are:
1. Accept passport and supporting documents (e.g. work permits, study permits and travel documents
where, for instance, a visitor will be undergoing medical treatment in the country).
2. Validate passport against a list of requirements for a passport to be regarded valid. This list will
include, for example, the expiry date and the authority who issued the passport.
3. Refuse entry (if passport is not valid). If the passport is valid, the DHA offcial will carry on with
process steps 4 to 6.
4. Capture applicant’s details onto the movement control system. The foreign visitor’s personal and
contact details, place of origin, destination in the country, reason and duration of stay are captured on
this system. The information enables the DHA immigration offcers to trace foreign visitors, should
it be necessary.
5. Check warning list. The warning list contains details of, for instance, foreign visitors who have been
declined entry in the past or have overstayed the period they had been allowed to stay in the country
(as indicated on a travel permit or visa, where applicable).
6. Capture details of entry. These details confrm the date, time and point of entry into the country.
Note: All these steps are carried out in South Africa. Step 3 only takes place where the passport is
found to be invalid.
On average it takes twenty (20) minutes to process the above eight (8) steps
52
. Taking into consideration
the international best practice of interaction between a traveler and an immigration offcial of up to one
48
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. 2007/2008 Annual Report.
49
In terms of the Immigration Act of the Republic of South Africa, Act No. 13 of 2002 a undesirable person includes any foreigner who is likely to become a public
charge or is a fugitive from justice.
50
Willox, N A, Regan, TM, O’Connor, C. Identity Fraud: Providing Solutions. Jpurnal of economic Crime Management. Summer 2002, Volume1, Issue1.
51
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. National Immigration Branch – Administer Admissions. DHA Enterprise Architecture. April 2006.
52
During peak times the average time might be longer.
23
minute and 30 seconds (which the Department hopes to surpass), there is still room for improvement to
minimise delays in the port control process
53
. Based on its in loco inspections of selected PoEs, the PSC
believes that the delays can be attributed to the fact that one Immigration Offcer is expected to take
a visitor through all the eight steps in the process. This would not necessarily be a problem if enough
counters are open at a time to serve visitors. However, during its inspections the PSC found that only a
few counters would be open to provide a service. In fact, on the day of the inspection at the Beit Bridge
PoE, the PSC found that, although two counters were open, visitors were allowed to use only one as
shown in Picture 1 below.
Picture 1: Public Area at Beit Bridge Port of Entry
Customers queuing in front of one counter while an adjacent one manned
by a Home Affairs offcial, is unused.
A further contributing factor to the delays is a lack of proper queue management systems at PoEs. The
absence of such queue management systems often leads to uncertainty amongst service users, regarding
which queue to stand in. Such uncertainty inevitable results in delays in service users getting served.
There are also no foor walkers
54
to assist people with directions to relevant service counters. The PSC
further found that at four of the PoEs (Oshoek, Lebombo, Beit Bridge and Skilpadshek) that the fow of
clients is not managed into different rows and that the work processes are also not managed. (Picture 2
below refects the absence of a queue management system at Oshoek). This corroborates the results of
a previous PSC study on the DHA which found, among others, that most delivery points did not have
dedicated staff members who guide service users to appropriate counters
55
.
Picture 2: Public Area at Oshoek Border Post
At many Ports of Entry the public area is very small and narrow and does not allow for
a proper queue. Since there is no electronic queue management system in place, customers
tend to bundle in front of the counters as shown in this picture of Oshoek Border Post.
53
Republic of South Africa. Government Communication and Information System. New “event visa” to help process 2010 visitors faster. BuaNews. 9 December
2008.
54
Floor Walkers are offcials assigned to direct the public to the appropriate service counters.
55
Republic of South Africa. Consolidated Report on Inspections of public Service Delivery Sites. August 2007.
24
4.2.1.4 The Department has made Special Arrangements at Ports of Entry to facilitate the entry
and exit of bus passengers and dignitaries
The Department has minimised congestion at the arrival and departure areas. It has, for instance, moved
away from the arrangement where all visitors would use the same queue (passengers of taxis/buses as
well as cars). In some instances, dedicated Immigration Offcers would board the buses in efforts to save
passengers time in not having to alight buses/taxis, queue at the counters and board buses/taxis again.
This arrangement has improved service delivery at the Land Ports of Entry in particular, and the arrival and
departure areas are not congested. It also leaves foreign visitors with an impression of effciency because
of the shorter queues and expedited process.
In addition, at two of the Land Ports of Entry included in the study, namely, Beit Bridge (bordering
Zimbabwe) and Lebombo (bordering Mozambique) provision is made for processing dignitaries or Very
Important People (VIPs) at a separate counter. At Ports of Entry where this arrangement is not in place,
dignitaries often complain that they have to queue during peak times for long periods to get through the
borders. This is especially the case where queues are also not properly managed.
4.3 DEGREE TO WHICH THE DEPARTMENT HAS PUT IN PLACE PLANS IN
PREPARATION FOR THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP EVENTS
The study sought to establish what plans, programmes, processes and/or systems the Department has put
in place in preparation for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. It was found that the Department has developed
detailed integrated plans (covering all relevant programmes such as visa applications and port control) with
regard to the 2009 and 2010 FIFA events
56
.
It was deemed prudent to establish whether the planning processes are including all the different role
players at the different levels. The fndings of the study show that at cluster level, the Department of
Home Affairs worked with the other role players in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster
on the guarantees needed by the Local Organising Committee to ensure South Africa’s hosting of the
FIFA events. Although it was indicated that the Department’s Provincial Managers were involved in the
development of the 2010 plans for the PoEs, the managers of most of the PoEs visited by the PSC indicated
that they were not directly involved in the process. The PoE managers felt that they should have been
involved because they are well-positioned to know the challenges experienced in the PoE processes.
Overall, the plans address the following four critical priorities of the Department, namely, infrastructure
development, strengthening Human Resource capacity, improving business processes and promoting
communication.
4.3.1 Infrastructure Development
The Department plans to introduce a system that will allow the sharing of airline passenger data to
facilitate the pre-screening of passengers prior to their departure or arrival
57
. Through this process,
passengers posing a high security risk can be identifed and even be prevented from traveling to the
country. This is an important development considering that at the moment the systems in use are not
allowing the Department to get a single view of information on each and every person that enters or
leaves the country. The PSC found, for example, that currently there is no real-time connection between
Ports of Entry and the mainframe systems of the Department. This leads to the inability of Ports of Entry
to track the movement of foreigners claiming refugee status after they have left the Port.
The Department is also working closely with the Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee
(BCOCC) to implement an infrastructure roll-out plan for Ports of Entry. The BCOCC has established an
infrastructure committee which serves as a single point of contact in terms of infrastructural development
and maintenance at the Ports of Entry. Having a Committee such as this is an important step towards
56
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Powerpoint Presentation to the 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee. August 2008.
57
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. National Immigration Branch – APP Business Case DHA Enterprise Architecture. April 2006.
25
improving the sharing of physical resources at Ports of Entry and ensuring that there are standards which
all physical infrastructure at Ports of Entry are expected to meet. During its in loco inspections at the
Oshoek, Lebombo, Beit Bridge, Skilpadshek and Maseru Bridge Ports of Entry, the PSC found, for example,
that currently signage directing customers to the correct counter in terms of the specifc service needed
by the customer is inadequate. Although a corporate image has been established in other offces of the
Department (rendering Civic Services), it was clear that the above PoEs still have to make do with their
own improvisations in terms of signage or directing people.
4.3.2 Strengthening Human Resources Capacity
As shown in Chapter 3 of this report, the Department is faced with critical challenges in the area of human
resource management and capacity. These include high vacancy rate, posts that are not properly graded,
among others. In order to address these and other challenges in preparation for 2010, the Department
has developed human resource plans. The plans include the deployment of Airline Liaison Offcers (ALOs)
to advise on the acceptability of passengers and their travel documents prior to boarding, the appointment
of more Immigration Offcers at OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports, the training of Foreign
Affairs offcials as Immigration Offcers, the recruitment of volunteers to assist with queue management
and special arrangements to fy extra offcials from one Port of Entry to another to provide support during
peak times.
The ALOs will be deployed to the various countries identifed as posing a security risk, and will primarily
advise on the acceptability of passengers and their travel documents prior to boarding. The ALOs will
also render overall support to airline staff by providing training on the security features of South African
passports, visas and other travel permits. One hundred and seventy six (176) new recruits will be deployed
as Immigration Offcers at the OR Tambo International Airports and Cape Town International Airport,
where the biggest infux at prospective spectators are expected to enter the country for the two FIFA
events. Addressing a business breakfast on 21 October 2008, the Minister of Home Affairs, Ms Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula said that these offcials will “start working shortly to ensure that they are well into a
routine by next June and certainly by 2010”
58
.
During the peak times, to ensure that all the critical PoEs have the necessary human resource capacity,
special arrangements will be made to even fy in extra offcials from other Ports of Entry to provide the
necessary support. These arrangements will be applied where unexpected numbers of prospective
visitors would be experienced. For example, if the system shows that two extra planes of visitors are
fying in at OR Tambo International Airport from London at a particular time, arrangements would be
made to get extra personnel at OR Tambo International Airport to process their arrival. Furthermore,
should the system indicate that three (3) buses would be coming in at Beit Bridge Border Post, the
teams on “stand-by” will be fown in to that PoE to fast-track the processing of passengers’ entry into the
country. It was not clear whether these arrangements had been costed in detail and whether all practical
arrangements had been worked out.
Clearly, these are simply interim arrangements to deal with the service delivery demands that the FIFA
World Cup may impose on the Department. In the long run, the Department will still have to ensure
that the fundamental human resource management challenges inhibiting service delivery are dealt with
decisively. These include establishing and sustaining a culture of accounting for performance, ensuring
rigour in the recruitment and selection processes of senior managers and retaining staff.
4.3.3 Improving Business Processes
The effectiveness of the current business processes of the Department is uneven, with visa applications
being managed better while the port control processes still manifest key weaknesses. The high volume
of visitors expected during the 2010 FIFA World Cup will most probably put pressure on these business
processes with the risk that quality and turnaround times may be affected. The Department has, therefore,
developed initiatives to improve business processes at the PoEs and foreign missions. These include the
58 Vivian Warby. South Africa 2010 website. Special visa for Confederations Cup and 2010. 21 October 2008.
26
clearance of visitors prior to their departure from their home country, the installation of intelligent travel
document readers to ascertain the authenticity of travel documents and the introduction of a special
events visa.
The clearance of visitors prior to their departure from their home country will be facilitated through
the installation of an Advanced Passenger Information (API) and an Advanced Passenger Processing
(APP) system. The system will allow the sharing of airline passenger data to facilitate the pre-screening of
passengers prior to departure or arrival
59
. The pre-screening will be based on the information provided by
airlines collected from the remote airport and will be applicable to all passengers and crew traveling by air
to South Africa. Through this process, passengers posing a high security risk can be identifed and even
be prevented from traveling to the country.
The installation of intelligent travel document readers will be another feature in the package of systems
that minimise risks and speed up service delivery at Ports of Entry. The system will expedite the capturing
of travellers’ information and contribute towards reducing fraud and corruption at the Ports of Entry.
A further development which seeks to improve the effectiveness and effciency of the management of
the immigration processes would be the introduction of a special events visa. The visa will be issued free
of charge to visitors and will offer them convenient access to the country through various ports of entry.
However, the PSC found during this study that one of the critical areas the Department needs to also
address is the interface of its services with those of other agencies such as the South African Revenue
Services. Currently, the integration of services is not optimal, leading to delays at Ports of Entry. At
the Beit Bridge Border Post, for instance, a 4
1
/2 kilometer queue of trucks was observed during the
unannounced visit by the PSC, as shown in Picture 3 below. While the long queue could quite readily
be blamed on the Department by uninformed passers-by, the delays were, in fact, as a result of the South
African Revenue Services (SARS)’ processes. Given the large amount of cargo that normally moves across
the Beit Bridge border, SARS has a critical responsibility to ensure that the necessary customs declarations
are done by the visitors and are accordingly verifed.
Picture 3: Four and a half kilometer queue of trucks at Beit Bridge
Often queues like these are wrongly attributed to the ineffciency and ineffectiveness
on the side of the DHA while delays in the processes of SARS are actually the cause
of the delays.
4.3.4 Promoting Communication
All the efforts of the Department towards delivering improved services during the 2010 FIFA World Cup
may not amount to much unless they are accompanied by an effective awareness raising campaign which
informs the public about what is available as well as their responsibilities. In this regard, communication
59
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. National Immigration Branch – APP Business Case DHA Enterprise Architecture. April
2006.
27
material will be developed for use by the Department internally (e.g. the website) as well as externally
by travel agents, airlines and the media to market the event-specifc services of the department e. g. the
special events visa, the scanning of passports and the dedicated or express lanes. The requirements to
qualify for the events visa will also be published to inform prospective visitors about the process that
will be followed in admitting them to the country. However, the PSC believes that the Department
should infuse its successes/achievements into its external communication. This will change the negative
perceptions about the Department and restore confdence in its services.
4.4 PROGRESS THE DEPARTMENT HAS MADE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE PLANS FOR 2010
The study sought to establish the progress the Department has made in implementing its plans for 2010.
According to progress reports to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on 22 October 2008
60
, the Department
was on track in its implementation of critical measures to ensure its readiness to effectively and effciently
facilitate the movement of the estimated numbers of foreign arrivals at Ports of Entry in 2010.
4.4.1 The Department has put in place Mechanisms for Monitoring the Implementation of Plans
for 2010
Considering the plans the Department has put in place for 2010, it is imperative that an effective mechanism
for monitoring implementation is implemented to help track progress and identify areas where timely
action needs to be taken. The Department has, with the assistance of the TAP, put plans in place to
address most of the challenges it has identifed in its preparations for 2010. However, no system could
be identifed at the offces visited that would be effectively and effciently monitoring the plans and the
impact such plans will have on service delivery and the performance of the PoEs. Instead, the Department
uses is a basic system whereby PoEs report statistics to Head Offce. The statistics is used, for instance,
to estimate expected numbers of visitors at peak times or special celebrations in neighbouring countries.
Numbers of fnes and amounts paid are also reported for audit purposes in a manual system. The different
data sheets on each of the aforementioned data felds are not linked in one system or database, and can
therefore only be used for planning in the specifc functional area. Having the different data felds linked
to one another will facilitate better planning for resources and procurement processes, amongst others. It
should, however, be acknowledged that a useful monitoring mechanism which the Department currently
has is the one used for the Turnaround Programme. In this Programme reports are provided on a weekly
basis to top management of the Department on progress with the implementation of the 2010 projects.
Such reporting should, among others, help draw the attention of management to critical challenges.
4.4.2 There are still Challenges and Constraints Experienced by the Department in Implementing
the Plans for 2010
The implementation of the plans for 2010 is largely still in progress and the PSC is thus mindful of the
fact that under the circumstances it may not be possible to defnitively pronounce on all the challenges,
constraints and successes. Nonetheless, certain important challenges have been identifed for further
consideration and these are discussed below.
4.4.2.1 A Huge Number of Visitors is Expected During 2010
The Department regards the high number of foreign visitors expected to enter South Africa for the two
FIFA events as a challenge because of the strain they are likely to put on the Department’s resources for
managing Ports of Entry. As Figure 1 below shows, the expected increase in foreign arrivals for 2008
to 2010 will rise from 8,3 million in 2008 to 10 million in 2010.
60 Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Report to the 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee. 22 October 2008.
28
Figure 1: Increase in number of foreign arrivals from 2001 to 2010 (including esti-
mations for 2008 to 2010)
Earlier in this Chapter an overview of the Department’s plans for 2010 with regards to the management of
the Ports of Entry was provided. Clearly, there are concerted efforts to ensure that the expected increase
in foreign arrivals is managed effectively at the PoEs. However, an important consideration would be to
ensure that the implementation of the plans is timely and effective enough so that the PoEs can indeed
rise to the occasion and meet the demands of 2010.
4.4.4.2 An Increase in Visa Applications is Expected
With the increase in foreign visitors visa applications will also increase. This will place an extra burden
on foreign missions and will require that the Department carefully review its visa processes. A particular
challenge that the Department envisages in this regard, is in terms of the foreign missions in which there
is currently no Department of Home Affairs representation
61
. Fortunately, as part of its plans for 2010
the Department has made provision for training foreign affairs offcials in these missions so that can stand
ready to assist with the processing of the visa applications. What is reassuring is the fact that the visa
application process seems to be managed well at the moment with turnaround times being adhered to.
The challenges will, therefore, be largely around taking to scale a process that is already working well.
4.4.4.3 An Increase in Inspectorate Functions is Expected
The study established that an increase in prospective visitors entering the country will lead to an increase
in inspectorate functions
62
. With more people entering the country it is also estimated that the number
of opportunistic, unlawful foreigners entering the country will also increase as well as the opportunities
for the Department of Home Affairs’ offcials to become involved in fraud and corruption. All these
challenges will place an extra burden on Ports of Entry as well as foreign missions and will require an
increased allocation of resources to these offces.
4.4.4.4 The Department still has a High Vacancy Rate in Critical Posts
The appointment and proper deployment of skilled offcials is one of the most critical priorities facing the
Department. Reports show that the Department is making progress in this regard, where for example,
1636 critical posts were flled by the end of the 2007/08 fnancial year
63
. In addition, 161 Immigration
offcers were trained and graduated from the South African National Academy of Intelligence
64
.
61
In some foreign countries the Department of Home Affairs is not represented and the functions are run by the Department of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the
Department.
62
Inspectorate functions are performed by Immigration Offcers at PoEs to, among others, identify people being in the country unlawfully.
63
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Budget Vote Speech by the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs. 10 June 2008.
64
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Media release. 8 December 2008.
NUMBER OF FOREIGN ARRIVALS INCLUDING
NUMBER EXPECTED FOR 2008-2010
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Year
A
r
r
i
v
a
l
s
i
n
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
NUMBER OF FOREIGN ARRIVALS INCLUDING
NUMBER EXPECTED FOR 2008-2010
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Year
A
r
r
i
v
a
l
s
i
n
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
29
However, it would be important for the Department to accelerate its recruitment and training initiatives
to ensure that by the time the 2009 and 2010 FIFA events take place, the offcials have already been
inducted into and they are settled in their jobs.
Conclusions and
Recommendations
C
h
a
p
t
e
r
F
i
v
e
30
31
5.1 INTRODUCTION
The DHA will play a signifcant role towards South Africa’s hosting of the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup
and the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. The Department is responsible for issuing visas to all foreign visitors
to the country and for the management of Ports of entry where visitors enter the country. The chapter
presents the conclusions and recommendations derived from the study. Recommendations are presented
according to the themes derived from the specifc objectives of the study.
5.2 CONCLUSION
Overall, there is encouraging progress in the current and planned processes for the management of visa
applications and Ports of Entry. Among others, turnaround times for issuing visas have largely remained
within the stipulated service standard of fve (5) days and detailed plans have been put in place to make
Ports of Entry more effective and effcient. However, the Department still faces a number of challenges
and constraints, and this will need to be attended to as part of efforts to prepare for 2010 and beyond.
The following summarises the main fndings of the study:
Delays are experienced in the visa applications and port control processes
Delays in the visa applications process are experienced as a result of incomplete visa applications and not
as a result of inadequate capacity on the side of the Department. The study also found that there is a lack
of proper queue management systems at PoEs. The absence of such queue management systems often
leads to uncertainty amongst service users, regarding which queue to stand in. However, the Department
has implemented special arrangements to minimise congestion at the arrival and departure areas.
The Department has put in place plans in preparation for the 2009 and 2010 FIFA World Cup events
It was found that the Department has developed detailed integrated plans (covering all relevant programmes
such as visa applications and port control) with regard to the 2009 and 2010 FIFA events. The plans
address the following critical priorities:
Infrastructure development
The Department plans to introduce a system that will allow the sharing of airline passenger data to
facilitate the pre-screening of passengers prior to their departure or arrival. The Department is also
working closely with the Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee (BCOCC) to ensure that
the basic infrastructure at the Ports of Entry is in place and maintained.
Strengthening human resources capacity
The Department is faced with critical challenges in the area of human resource management and capacity.
These include a high vacancy rate and posts that are not properly graded, among others. In order
to address these and other challenges in preparation for 2010, the Department has developed human
resource plans.
Improving business processes
The effectiveness of the current business processes of the Department is uneven, with visa applications
being managed better while the port control processes still manifest key weaknesses.
32
Promoting communication
All the efforts of the Department towards delivering improved services during the 2010 FIFA World Cup
may not amount to much unless they are accompanied by an effective awareness raising campaign which
informs the public about what is available as well as their responsibilities.
The Department has made progress in the implementation of the plans for 2010
According to progress reports to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on 22 October 2008
65
, the Department
was on track in its implementation of critical measures to ensure its readiness to effectively and effciently
facilitate the movement of the estimated numbers of foreign arrivals at Ports of Entry in 2010. The study
found the following:
The Department has put in place mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of plans for 2010
The Department has, with the assistance of the TAP, put plans in place to address most of the challenges
it has identifed in its preparations for 2010. However, no system could be identifed at the offces visited
that would be effectively and effciently monitoring the plans and the impact such plans will have on service
delivery and the performance of the PoEs.
There are still challenges and constraints experienced by the Department in implementing the plans
for 2010
The Department is still experiencing challenges and constraints in implementing plans for 2010. These
challenges include the huge number of visitors expected during 2010, the expected increase in visa
applications and the expected increase in Inspectorate functions.
5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS
The following are the key recommendations of the study.
5.3.1 Filling of Posts
The vacancy rate in the Department has been identifed in the past by almost all the intervention teams as
a critical issue that the Department had to address. The human resource section of the Department is very
critical in the flling of posts, by ensuring that the critical posts are advertised, candidates are short listed
and interviews are conducted and recommended candidates are fnally appointed. It is recommended
that the Department ensures that the flling of posts is treated with urgency.
5.3.2 Leadership Drive to Ensure Responsibility for Implementing Turnaround Plans
The Department seems to have dealt with some of the key recommendations from the previous intervention
teams. Senior offcials with skills and vision have been appointed. However, this has not fltered down
to the rest of the senior management team as well as lower level offcials. It is recommended that the
Department fast-track the implementation of previous recommendations and turnaround plans. Offcials
at all levels should be involved in this drive and in decisions about their processes, especially offcials at Ports
of Entry offcials. Not only will this contribute to staff morale but also to everybody taking responsibility
for service delivery and for the Department’s performance. Clearly allocating responsibility for the
implementation of turnaround plans in managers’ PAs will ensure accountability for the implementation of
the plans, even after the contract of the current Turnaround Programme has come to an end.
65
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Report to the 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee. 22 October 2008.
33
5.3.3 Monitoring and Evaluation
A proper monitoring and evaluation system should be introduced to provide management with reliable
and up-to-date information on the performance of programmes, including the two programmes under
review in this study. The system should be linked to all reporting systems. Such a system will provide
management with early warning signals of poor performance or possible collapse in services. It will also
facilitate the allocation of responsibility for specifc programmes.
The system could also include a section on customer satisfaction where feedback from customers is
obtained on a continuous basis and in a systematic way. Such feedback is invaluable in decisions on
improved service delivery. Feedback from other stakeholders on the Department’s performance could
also be linked to this system and would be very useful in avoiding a breakdown in services.
The reporting structure proposed by the Turnaround Programme should be tested by the Department
in reporting progress on the implementation of the various sub-projects of the 2010 Programme. The
Department should, however, take full responsibility for reporting and monitoring to ensure that there is
skills transfer from the Turnaround Team to the responsible managers in the Department.
5.3.4 Process Guidelines on New Processes
Given that the department plans to introduce new processes and systems to improve the delivery of
immigration services it should ensure that the necessary procedure manuals and or guidelines are available
at the Port of Entry or foreign mission where the processes and systems are introduced. This will ensure
consistency and effciency in the way customers are handled at these offces. These manuals as well as
training modules should be amended as and when systems and processes are amended.
5.3.5 Immigration Services declared Critical Services
Immigration services have become specialised services and these offcials also undergo special training.
As indicated in par 1.2 above, the effectiveness and effciency with which these services are carried out
during the FIFA events in 2009 and 2010 will have a defnite impact on the overall success of South Africa
hosting the events. It is, therefore, imperative that these services are declared critical services and that the
necessary dispensation for Immigration Offcers is introduced to ensure that unforeseen strikes amongst
them do not debilitate the Department’s Immigration Services during the 2010 FIFA event.
5.3.6 Sharing the Responsibility for the Performance of a Port of Entry
The BCOCC should establish a subcommittee to address issues of integrating service delivery and sharing
responsibilities for the performance of the PoE. Only when all the role players at a Port of Entry take full
responsibility for the functions that they are mandated to perform will it succeed in facilitating the effective
and effcient movement of goods and people across the border. It will also ensure that the Department of
Home Affairs does not get blamed for the ineffciency and ineffectiveness of other departments involved
at the PoEs.
5.3.7 Improving Communication on the Products and Services of the Department
The Department should ensure that it beefs up its communication mechanisms so that members of the
public can be better informed about the services on offer, the standards the Department has committed
itself to observe and the requirements for accessing the services. In addition, the Department should
communicate its successes and achievements to restore the confdence of the public in its ability to render
services.
In making the above recommendations the PSC is fully aware that some of them may have resource
implications and that, therefore, certain trade-offs may have to be made in this process. However, the
PSC believes that such trade-offs would be in the interest of strengthening the capacity of what is clearly
34
the very central state institution in efforts to successfully host the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. Indeed,
the benefts of having an effective and effcient Department of Home Affairs will last longer than the 2010
event itself and will be felt in many other areas of Public Service delivery.
35
NOTES
36
NOTES
37
NOTES
38
NOTES
doc_105615380.pdf
Report On The Evaluation Of Service Delivery At The Department Of Home Affairs
i
Report on the Evaluation of Service
Delivery at the Department of Home Affairs:
Visa Applications and Port Control
December 2008
Published in the Republic of South Africa by:
THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (PSC)
Commission House
Cnr. Hamilton & Ziervogel Streets
Arcadia 0083
Private Bag X121
Pretoria 0001
Tel: (012) 352-1000
Fax: (012) 325-8382
Website: www.psc.gov.za
National Anti-Corruption Hotline Number: 0800 701 701 (Toll-Free)
Compiled by Branch: Monitoring and Evaluation
Distribution by Directorate: Communication and Information Services
Printed by: Creda Communications
ISBN: 978-0-621-3846-35
RP: 17/2009
ii
Foreword
The FIFA Soccer World Cup event will be hosted by South Africa in 2010.
Given that this is the second largest sporting event in the world (the frst being
the Olympics), South Africa can expect many visitors into the country. South
Africa’s readiness to receive the expected visitors and their experience within
the country will have a huge infuence on, amongst others, future tourism and
foreign investment. State institutions will play a critical role in the preparations,
the actual hosting and in efforts to sustain the positive impact of the event
beyond 2010.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is one of the departments that
have a critical role to play towards the successful hosting of this event, especially given that visitors’
frst experience of South Africa will be through interaction with it and, depending on the nature of this
experience, will leave them with an impression of the country and its people. The effectiveness and
effciency with which the Department facilitates the entry into and the exit of visitors from the Republic
of South Africa will be key in creating a positive perception amongst foreign visitors.
In 2008 a key focus of the PSC has been to assess the state of readiness of the Public Service for 2010 and
beyond. It is within this context that the PSC undertook a study to evaluate the visa applications as well
as port control processes of the DHA. These are likely to be key services the Department will render to
prospective visitors.
I am pleased to present this report on an Evaluation of the Department of Home Affairs’ Service Delivery
in terms of Visa Applications and Port Control Services. The report provides valuable information on the
Department’s state of readiness in terms of these services as well as an overview of the innovative plans
the Department has made in preparation for 2010.
I trust that the fndings and recommendations contained in this report will contribute further towards
improving the state of readiness of the DHA to meet the challenges of 2010.
PROF SS SANGWENI
CHAIRPERSON: PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
iii
Table of Contents
FOREWORD ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iii
LIST OF PICTURES iv
FIGURE iv
LIST OF TABLES iv
LIST OF ACRONYMS v
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY vi
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background to the Study 2
1.2 Mandate of the Public Service Commission 2
1.3 Objectives of the Study 3
1.4 Structure of the Report 3
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 4
2.1 Introduction 5
2.2 Scope of the Study 5
2.3 Methodology 5
2.4 Data Analysis 7
2.5 Limitations of the Study 7
CHAPTER 3: AN OVERVIEW OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS 9
3.1 Introduction 10
3.2 Legal Context of the Immigration Services included in the Study 10
3.3 Historical Context of the Department of Home Affairs’ Service Delivery Challenges 11
3.4 Current Strategy to address Service Delivery Challenges 18
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS 20
4.1 Introduction 21
4.2 Key Findings 21
4.2.1 Current State of service delivery in terms of processing visa applications and
managing Ports of Entry 21
iv
4.3 Degree to which the Department has put in place plans in preparation for the 2010
Fifa World Cup Events 24
4.3.1 Infrastructure Development 24
4.3.2 Strengthening Human Resources Capacity 25
4.3.3 Improving Business Processes 25
4.3.4 Promoting Communication 26
4.4 Progress the Department has made in the Implementation of the Plans for 2010 27
4.4.1 The Department has put in place Mechanisms for Monitoring the Implementation
of Plans for 2010 27
4.4.2 There are still Challenges and Constraints Experienced by the Department in
Implementing the Plans for 2010 27
4.4.2.1 A Huge Number of Visitors is Expected During 2010 34
4.4.4.2 An Increase in Visa Applications is Expected 28
4.4.4.3 An Increase in Inspectorate Functions is Expected 28
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 30
5.1 Introduction 31
5.2 Conclusion 31
5.3 Recommendations 32
5.3.1 Filling of Posts 32
5.3.2 Leadership Drive to Ensure Responsibility for Implementing Turnaround Plans 32
5.3.3 Monitoring and Evaluation 33
5.3.4 Process Guidelines on New Processes 33
5.3.5 Immigration Services Declared Critical Services 33
5.3.6 Sharing the Responsibility for the Performance of a Port of Entry 33
5.3.7 Improving Communication on the Products and Services of the Departments 33
LIST OF PICTURES
Picture 1: Public Area at Beit Bridge Port of Entry 23
Picture 2: Public Area at Oshoek Border Post 23
Picture 3: Four and a half kilometer queue of trucks at Beit Bridge 26
FIGURE
Figure 1: Increase in number of foreign arrivals from 2001 to 2010 (including estimations for
2008 to 2010) 28
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Ports of Entry Included in the Study 5
Table 2: Description of the Legislative Frameworkd that Inform the Functions of DHA 10
Table 3: Critical Ports of Entry for 2010 12
v
LIST OF ACRONYMS
ALOs Airline Liaison Offcers
API Advanced Passenger Information
APP Advanced Passenger Processing
AU African Union
BCOCC Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee
DAR Departmental Annual Report
DHA Department of Home Affairs
DOA Department of Agriculture
DOH Department of Health
FIFA Federation Internationale de Football Association
IST Interim Support Team
JCPS Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (Cluster)
LOC Local Organising Committee
MCS Movement Control System
NIA National Intelligence Agency
PAs Performance Agreements
PoE Port of Entry
PSC Public Service Commission
SADC Southern African Development Community
SANIA South African National Intelligence Agency
SAMP South African Migration Project
SAPS South African Police Service
SARS South African Revenue Services
SITA State Information Technology Agency
TAP Turnaround Programme
TBCSA Tourism Business Council of South Africa
VIP Very Important People
vi
Executive Summary
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
South Africa will be hosting both the 2009 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
Confederation Cup and the major soccer event on the international calendar, namely, the 2010 FIFA
Soccer World Cup. The 2010 Soccer World Cup Tourism Organising Plan
1
estimates that approximately
445 000 foreign visitors will enter the country to attend each of the two events. Given the size of the
event and its socio-economic considerations, state institutions play an important role in efforts to ensure
the successful hosting of the event and to sustain the positive impact of the event beyond 2010. The
Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will play a critical role in the hosting of these major events. Not only
is it required to process the legal entry of the many tourists expected in the country, but in most likelihood
it will be the frst interaction that visitors will have with the country.
Given the PSC’s focus on assessing the state of readiness of the Public Service for 2010 and beyond, it
decided to assess the visa application and port control processes of the DHA. The PSC’s broad aim of this
evaluation was to make recommendations to the Department about the effective and effcient processing
of visa applications and control of movement of people across the South African borders before, during
and after the abovementioned Soccer events.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main aim of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness with which the DHA manages the applications
for visas as well as Ports of Entry, and to make recommendations to promote the effectiveness and
effciency of these processes.
The specifc objectives of the project were to:
• Assess the quality of current service delivery by the Department of Home Affairs in terms of visa
applications and admitting foreign visitors into the country at Ports of Entry.
• Assess the degree to which the Department of Home Affairs has put in place plans, programmes,
processes and systems to effectively and effciently manage the visa application and foreign visitor
admittance processes in preparation for the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup and the 2010 FIFA World
Cup events.
• Assess whether these plans, programmes, processes and systems will contribute to the effective and
effcient management of the visa application and foreign visitor admittance processes.
• Establish how the implementation of these plans, programmes, processes and systems is monitored.
• Identify the challenges and constraints experienced by the Department in implementing these plans,
programmes, processes and systems.
• Provide feedback on progress with the implementation of relevant recommendations from previous
PSC reports on the Department.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study included the Visa Applications and Port Control Services of the Immigration
Branch of the DHA. These two functions of the DHA are central to the management of the movement
of foreign visitors into the Republic of South Africa.
1
Republic of South Africa. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. 2010 Soccer World Cup Tourism Organising Plan. 2005.
vii
METHODOLOGY
The processes followed in conducting this study included a literature review of key documents, development
of semi-structured questionnaires, interviews with relevant persons from DHA, in loco inspections of
selected Ports of Entry.
SAMPLING
The study applied a purposive sampling procedure. Attention was given to the ports that would be
most critical for the entry of people into South Africa for attending both the 2009 Confederation Cup
as the 2010 Soccer World Cup events. The DHA provided the PSC with a list of all Ports of Entry and a
representative sample was drawn from the list. The sample included fve (5) Land Border Posts shared
with each of South Africa’s neighbouring countries (except with Namibia
2
). Four (4) airports were also
included in the study.
Document Review
A review of all available information on the immigration function of the DHA was undertaken. Documents
such as the Department’s Annual Report (DAR), the Strategic Plan for 2005/06 – 2009/10, departmental
web-sites, speeches by various role players such as the Minister and the Director-General of Home Affairs
to identify challenges related to the areas included in the scope and progress the Department has made
in addressing these, were reviewed. Reports on the Department by various intervention teams were also
studied.
Data Collection Instruments
Two semi-structured questionnaires were developed to serve as data collection tools. One tool was to
collect data from managers of the Home Affairs offces at Ports of Entry and another tool to collect data
during the interviews with Provincial Managers of the Department. The data collection instruments for use
during the interviews with managers at the PoEs and the Provincial Managers sought to establish, among
others, the progress with preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the extent of the involvement of the
PoE management in these preparations and the challenges that are being faced.
Interviews
In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with managers of the identifed Ports of Entry and with
the Provincial Managers responsible for the sampled Ports of Entry.
Unannounced In Loco Inspections at Ports of Entry
Unannounced in loco inspections were carried out at the selected Ports of Entry. During unannounced in
loco inspections, the selected Ports of Entry (Land Ports of Entry and airports) were not alerted about the
visits. The main aim of the unannounced in loco inspections was to determine the Department’s current
performance and to establish the level of courtesy with which customers are handled.
Data Analysis
Data analysis commenced with a process of organising data into key themes and sub-themes. The themes
were developed according to the objectives of the study.
2
Ports of Entry from Namibia were not included in the study because of the small proportion of the soccer fraternity that is expected to enter South Africa through
any of the land border posts shared with Namibia, especially because Kimberley is not a host city for any of the two events.
viii
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The following limitations were identifed during the study:
The project team could not secure interviews with all relevant programme managers in the Department
because key posts in both Visas and Port Control services were vacant. Some senior managers were also
not available as a result of other offcial commitments.
The verifcation of information was hampered in some instances by the Department’s inability to release
documents because they were regarded as confdential in the sense that at the time of the study their
content was not yet for public consumption.
KEY FINDINGS
The following are the key fndings of the study:
Delays are experienced in the visa applications and port control processes
Delays in the visa applications process are experienced as a result of incomplete visa applications and not
as a result of inadequate capacity on the side of the Department. The study also found that there is a lack
of proper queue management systems at PoEs. The absence of such queue management systems often
leads to uncertainty amongst service users, regarding which queue to stand in.
The Department has put in place plans in preparation for the 2009 and 2010 FIFA World Cup events
It was found that the Department has developed detailed integrated plans (covering all relevant programmes
such as visa applications and port control) with regard to the 2009 and 2010 FIFA events. The plans
address the following critical priorities:
Infrastructure development
The Department plans to introduce a system that will allow the sharing of airline passenger data to
facilitate the pre-screening of passengers prior to their departure or arrival. The Department is also
working closely with the Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee (BCOCC) to ensure that
the basic infrastructure at the Ports of Entry is in place and maintained.
Strengthening human resources capacity
The Department is faced with critical challenges in the area of human resource management and capacity.
These include a high vacancy rate and posts that are not properly graded, among others. In order
to address these and other challenges in preparation for 2010, the Department has developed human
resource plans.
Improving business processes
The effectiveness of the current business processes of the Department is uneven, with visa applications
being managed better while the port control processes still manifest key weaknesses.
Promoting communication
All the efforts of the Department towards delivering improved services during the 2010 FIFA World Cup
may not amount to much unless they are accompanied by an effective awareness raising campaign which
informs the public about what is available as well as their responsibilities.
ix
The Department has made progress in the implementation of the plans for 2010
According to progress reports to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on 22 October 2008
3
, the Department
was on track in its implementation of critical measures to ensure its readiness to effectively and effciently
facilitate the movement of the estimated numbers of foreign arrivals at Ports of Entry in 2010. The study
found the following:
The Department has put in place mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of plans for 2010
The Department has, with the assistance of the Turnaround Programme (TAP), put plans in place to
address most of the challenges it has identifed in its preparations for 2010. However, no system could be
identifed at the offces visited that would be effectively and effciently monitoring the plans and the impact
such plans will have on service delivery and the performance of the PoEs.
There are still challenges and constraints experienced by the Department in implementing the plans
for 2010
The Department is still experiencing challenges and constraints in implementing plans for 2010. These
challenges include the huge number of visitors expected during 2010, the expected increase in visa
applications and the expected increase in Inspectorate functions.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The study identifed areas that need to be addressed to ensure that the Department succeeds in its
preparations for 2010 as well as its current turnaround attempts. The following are the key recommendations
of the study:
Process guidelines in terms of new processes should be available at ports of entry
Although it was indicated that Immigration Offcers will undergo training in terms of all the new processes
and systems applicable to the different offces (Land Border Posts and Airports), the Department should
ensure that the necessary procedure manuals and guidelines are available at the Ports of Entry where the
processes and systems are introduced. This will ensure consistency and effciency in the way customers
are handled at these offces.
Immigration services should be declared critical services
Immigration services have become specialised services and Immigration Offcers also undergo special
training. The effectiveness and effciency with which these services are carried out during the FIFA events
will have a defnite impact on the overall success of South Africa hosting the events. It is, therefore,
imperative that these services be declared critical services and that the necessary dispensation for
Immigration Offcers is introduced to ensure that unforeseen strikes amongst them do not debilitate the
Department’s Immigration Services during and after the 2010 FIFA event.
A proper monitoring and evaluation system should be introduced
A proper monitoring and evaluation system should be introduced to provide management with reliable
and up-to-date information on the performance of programmes, including the two programmes under
review in this study, namely, Visa Applications and Port Control Services. The system should further
enable the Department to track progress with the implementation of plans (including recommendations
of previous intervention teams).
3
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Report to the 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee. 22 October 2008.
x
There should be a focused leadership drive to ensure the implementation of the turnaround plans
It was noted that the Department has introduced measures to address many of the leadership and
management issues identifed in previous interventions and seems to have started employing top managers
with the necessary vision, skills and commitment that can drive the change processes towards ensuring
improved service delivery in preparations for 2010 and beyond. It is, however, not evident that this
drive is being fltered down to the rest of the senior management team as well as lower level offcials.
Ensuring that all managers understand their specifc role in the implementation of the turnaround plans
and capturing their responsibilities in this regard in their performance agreements, will help ensure that
the necessary changes are effected and the plans are fully implemented.
The responsibility for the performance of a port of entry should be shared between the departments
involved
The Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee should establish a subcommittee to address
issues of integrating service delivery and sharing responsibilities for the performance of PoEs. Only when
all the role players at a Port of Entry take full responsibility for the functions that they are mandated to
perform, will it succeed in facilitating the effective and effcient movement of goods and people across the
border.
11
Introduction
C
h
a
p
t
e
r
O
n
e
2
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
South Africa will be hosting both the 2009 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
Confederation Cup and the major soccer event on the international calendar, namely, the 2010 FIFA
Soccer World Cup. The 2010 Soccer World Cup Tourism Organising Plan
4
estimates that approximately
445 000 foreign visitors will enter the country to attend each of the two events. Given the size of the
event and its socio-economic considerations, state institutions play a critical role in efforts to ensure the
successful hosting of the event and to sustain the positive impact of the event beyond 2010.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will play a critical role in the hosting of these major events. Not
only is it required to process the legal entry of the many tourists expected in the country but in most
likelihood it will be the frst interaction that visitors will have with the country. The DHA is, in terms of
the Immigration Act
5
, amongst others, mandated with regulating and monitoring the entry into, residence
within and departure of persons who wish to visit or stay in South Africa through issuing appropriate
permits or documents to applicants. Such documents include visas, work permits, study permits and
permanent residence permits. For foreign visitors to legally enter South Africa, they have to apply for visas
at the foreign offces of the DHA based in their respective home countries.
Apart from issuing appropriate permits or documents to prospective visitors to the country, the Department
also contributes to maintaining the integrity of the Republic of South Africa as a sovereign state through
detecting, arresting and deporting prohibited and undesirable persons through what is called port control
services. These actions further contribute to the combating of transnational crime(s). The Department
carries out these functions against the human rights framework provided in the Constitutive Act of the
African Union (AU)
6
on immigration matters and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Protocol on Tourism
7
.
Taken together, all these considerations underscore the important role the DHA will have to fulfll in the
build up to, during and after the 2010 Soccer World Cup event. Its effectiveness, effciency and courtesy
will be under the spotlight and will create an image in the visitors’ minds about the country, and will
infuence, amongst others, future tourism and foreign investment. Encouragingly, the DHA acknowledges
the implications of their role in that they stated that “in particular Home Affairs will be presented with
major challenges relating to the Soccer World Cup 2010 that will entail the effcient processing of the
millions of foreign soccer players and fans”
8
. The event does not only pose a challenge to the Department
to improve the facilitation of the entry processes, but also to improve border post security.
Given the PSC’s focus on assessing the state of readiness of the Public Service for 2010 and beyond, it
decided to assess the visa application and port control processes of the DHA. The PSC’s broad aim
of the PSC with this evaluation was to make recommendations to the Department about the effective
and effcient processing of visa applications and control of movement of people across the South African
borders before, during and after the abovementioned Soccer events.
1.2 MANDATE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
In Section 196 (4) (b) and (c) the Constitution, 1996
9
mandates the PSC to, amongst others, “investigate,
monitor and evaluate the organisation and administration, and the personnel practices, of the public
service” and to “propose measures to ensure effective and effcient performance within the Public Service”.
Section 195, inter alia, requires that “people’s needs be responded to” and that the “effcient, economic
and effective use of resources be promoted”.
In line with its constitutional mandate, the PSC decided to evaluate service delivery at the DHA, especially
focusing on Visa Applications and Port Control as critical services that will contribute signifcantly to South
Africa’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.
4
Republic of South Africa. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. 2010 Soccer World Cup Tourism Organising Plan. 2005.
5
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Immigration Act, No. 13 of 2002.
6
African Union. Constitutive Act of the African Union, 2000.
7
Southern African Development Community. Protocol on Tourism. 1998.
8
The Republic of South Africa. The Department of Home Affairs. 2005/06 – 2009/10 Strategic Plan.
9
The Republic of South Africa, The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Act 108 of 1996.
3
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main aim of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness with which the DHA manages the applications
for visas as well as Ports of Entry, and to make recommendations to promote the effectiveness and
effciency of these processes.
The specifc objectives of the project were to:
• Assess the quality of current service delivery by the Department of Home Affairs in terms of visa
applications and admitting foreign visitors into the country at Ports of Entry.
• Assess the degree to which the Department of Home Affairs has put in place plans, programmes,
processes and systems to effectively and effciently manage the visa application and foreign visitor
admittance processes in preparation for the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup and the 2010 FIFA World
Cup events.
• Assess whether these plans, programmes, processes and systems will contribute to the effective and
effcient management of the visa application and foreign visitor admittance processes.
• Establish how the implementation of these plans, programmes, processes and systems is monitored.
• Identify the challenges and constraints experienced by the Department in implementing these plans,
programmes, processes and systems.
• Provide feedback on progress with the implementation of relevant recommendations from previous
PSC reports on the Department.
In following up on the implementation of recommendations relevant to visa applications and port control
the following reports were considered:
• The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home
Affairs (January 2007)
10
. The Report emanated from the work of a Support Intervention Team (SIT)
which was constituted to assist the Department of Home Affairs on the key issues of Leadership
and Management, Human Resources, Information and Communication Technology, Service Delivery and
Financial Management. The Support Intervention Team comprised the Offce, the Department
of Public Service and Administration, the Auditor-General and the Department of Home Affairs.
The Report provides strategic considerations and recommendations emanating from the support
intervention. It also refects on the progress achieved since the start of the support intervention in
July 2006 to January 2007.
• The Consolidated Report on Inspections of Service Delivery Sites (August 2007)
11
with specifc reference
to the Section on the Department of Home Affairs. In an effort to monitor the transformation of
service delivery, the PSC embarked on a programme of inspecting service delivery sites. The broad
aim of these inspections was to assess the quality of services provided to the public and to determine
if departments are meeting the required service standards and the needs of citizens as users of these
services. This Report is a consolidation of fndings and recommendations arising from the inspections
that were conducted during 2005/2006 which included the Departments of Home Affairs, Labour,
Housing (Gauteng) and Social Development (Free State).
1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT
This report is structured in the following manner:
Chapter 2 describes the methodology that was applied in the study.
Chapter 3 discusses an overview of the Department of Home Affairs.
Chapter 4 presents the key fndings of the study.
Chapter 5 presents the conclusions and recommendations drawn from the study.
10
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. January 2007. Unpublished Report.
11
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Consolidated Report on Inspections of Service Delivery Sites. August 2007.
Methodology
C
h
a
p
t
e
r
T
w
o
4
5
2.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter outlines the scope of the study and the research methodology that was used to collect data
on the visa applications and port control processes of the DHA. The chapter also presents the limitations
experienced during the study.
2.2 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study covered the Visa Applications and Port Control Services of the Immigration Branch
of the DHA. These two areas are key to the processing of the documentation of prospective foreign
visitors to the Republic of South Africa. For the purpose of understanding the context in which the two
services are carried out in the Department, the following is a brief overview of each of them:
2.2.1 Visa Applications
Any person who wants to enter the Republic has to apply for a visa. Once a visa is issued, it authorises a
prospective visitor to proceed from their respective home country to South Africa. A visa is only issued
after proper screening of the applicant is done to ensure that an undesirable person is not admitted to
the country. At the Port of Entry, a visa provides Immigration Offcers with the necessary information to
ensure that visitors are admitted for the correct purpose and period into South Africa.
2.2.2 Port Control Services
Foreign visitors enter or leave the country through a Port of Entry. At the port of entry there are offcials
who manage the process of entry and departure from the Republic. Foreign visitors will be concerned
about the effective and effcient handling of their physical entrance into South Africa and would like to have
a sense that their stay in the country will be a safe experience. The PSC, therefore, identifed the need to
include Port Control Services in this study.
2.3 METHODOLOGY
2.3.1 Sampling
The study applied a purposive sampling procedure. Such sampling seeks to select a section of the research
population which in the researcher’s judgement will provide the most useful information for the study.
Attention was given to the ports that would be most critical for the entry of people into South Africa for
attending both the 2009 Confederation Cup as the 2010 Soccer World Cup events. The DHA provided
the PSC with a list of all Ports of Entry and a representative sample was drawn from the list. The sample
included fve (5) Land Border Posts shared with each of South Africa’s neighbouring countries (except
with Namibia
12
). Four (4) airports were also included in the study. Table 1 below refects the Ports of
Entry included in this study.
Table 1: Ports of Entry Included in the Study
13
LAND PORTS OF ENTRY AIRPORTS
Oshoek (from Swaziland) Cape Town
Maseru Bridge (from Lesotho) Johannesburg
Lebombo (from Mozambique) Durban
13
Skilpadshek (from Botswana) Kruger International
Beitbridge (from Zimbabwe)
12
Ports of Entry from Namibia were not included in the study because of the small proportion of the soccer fraternity that is expected to enter South Africa through
any of the land border posts shared with Namibia, especially because Kimberley is not a host city for any of the two events.
13
Although the Durban Airport was included in the sample, an inspection at this Airport would be ineffectual in terms of compiling data since a new Airport is currently
being built where the planned processes and systems will be introduced.
6
2.3.2 Data Collection Process
A combination of data collection methods was applied during the study. These methods included the
review of relevant documents, interviews with offcials who served as key sources of information in the
Department and unannounced in loco inspections at identifed Ports of Entry.
2.3.2.1 Document Review
A review of all available information on the immigration function of the DHA was undertaken. Documents
such as the Department’s Annual Report (DAR), the Strategic Plan for 2005/06 – 2009/10, departmental
web-sites, speeches by various role players such as the Minister, the Director-General, the Chairperson
of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs and the President of the Republic of South Africa to identify
challenges related to the areas included in the scope and progress the Department has made in addressing
these, were reviewed. Reports on the Department by various intervention teams
14
were also studied.
Furthermore, at the time of the study, the Department was in the process of addressing service delivery
challenges through the support of a Turnaround Team. The plans, prospective processes and systems
that the Department intended to implement to improve the current situation were requested from the
Department and perused to establish their intended impact and cost effciency on the visa applications
and port control services.
2.3.2.2 Interviews
In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with managers of the identifed Ports of Entry and with
the Provincial Managers responsible for the sampled Ports of Entry.
2.3.2.3 Unannounced In Loco Inspections at Ports of Entry
Unannounced in loco inspections were carried out at the selected Ports of Entry (See Table 1 at par
2.3.1 on page 6 above for a list of PoEs included in the study). During unannounced in loco inspections,
the selected Ports of Entry (Land Ports of Entry and airports) were not alerted about the visits. The main
aim of the unannounced in loco inspections was to determine the Department’s current performance and
to establish the level of courtesy with which customers are handled. This was to ensure that processes
and performance of the Home Affairs offces at Ports of Entry could be observed in their daily state.
During such unannounced in loco inspections at the different Ports of Entry, PSC offcials queued as normal
customers and proceeded through the normal exit process to observe the handling of customers and the
performance of the counter offcials frst-hand and objectively.
2.3.2.4 Data Collection Instruments
Two semi-structured questionnaires were developed to serve as data collection tools. One tool was to
collect data from managers of the Home Affairs offces at Ports of Entry and another tool to collect data
during the interviews with Provincial Managers of the Department.
The following were the key elements contained in the data collection instrument used during the interviews
with managers at the PoEs:
• Organisational arrangements (including plans/processes/systems) to deal with the entry of foreign
nationals with the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
• The involvement of the PoE management in the organisational arrangements.
• The plans/new systems and processes were preceded by a thorough analysis of infrastructure, human
resources and processes at the PoEs.
• Availability of training on the new processes and systems and procedure manuals.
14
Intervention teams referred to include the South African Migration Project (SAMP) (2004), the Turnaround Strategy (2004/05), the Interim Support Team (IST)
(2006/07), Inspections into Home Affairs service delivery sites (2007) and Customer Satisfaction Surveys at the Department of Home Affairs (2007).
7
• The issue of integration of services of the different departments at the PoEs.
• Physical, operational and structural arrangements at the PoEs (including layout of offces, process
management and infrastructure issues).
• The Department’s current retention strategy in terms of PoEs.
• Courtesy issues (e.g. monitoring and evaluation of frontline staff and training).
• Current delays and constraints.
• Processes followed in reporting progress to Head Offce.
• Functionality of systems in reporting statistics.
The data collection instrument used during the interviews with Provincial Managers addressed the
following issues:
• The current process of admitting foreign visitors into the country at the Ports of Entry.
• The plans, programmes, processes and or systems the Department has put in place to effectively
and effciently manage the foreign visitor admittance processes in preparation for the 2009/2010 FIFA
events.
• The process followed in compiling these plans and processes (Who was involved, how inputs were
requested).
• How the Department intended to monitor the implementation of these plans, programmes, processes
and or systems to ensure that the objectives are achieved.
• Any challenges that were foreseen in terms of achieving the objectives/implementation of the plans/
processes/systems.
• Recommendations made to the BCOCC with regard to the above challenges.
• Progress made with the implementation of these recommendations.
2.4 DATA ANALYSIS
Data analysis commenced with a process of organising data into key themes and sub-themes. The themes
were developed according to the objectives of the study.
The themes covered:
• The current process of admitting foreign visitors at Land Border Posts.
• The Department’s plans in preparation for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup event.
• The process followed in compiling plans for 2010.
• Progress made with the implementation of the Department’s 2010 plans.
• Mechanisms the Department has in place to monitor the implementation of the plans of the
Department.
• Challenges identifed as key to the preparations of the Department for 2009 and 2010.
Data analysis ensured the integration of data collected through the two different tools.
2.5 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The following limitations were identifed during the study:
• A considerable amount of time was lost waiting for the Department to identify key informants to be
interviewed by the PSC in the study.
• The project team could not secure interviews with all relevant programme managers in the Department
because key posts in both Visas and Port Control services were vacant. Some senior managers were
also not available as a result of other offcial commitments.
• Full reports on previous interventions were not in all cases available. Although some of the individual
intervention team members could be traced, no formal documented reports could be obtained.
• Although the Department had plans in place for the 2009/2010 FIFA events, none of these had been
fully implemented with the result that the impact could not be established. The study, therefore, had
to rely on estimations in terms of impact and cost benefts of these plans.
8
• The verifcation of information was hampered in some instances by the Department’s inability to
release documents because they were regarded as confdential in the sense that at the time of the
study their content was not yet for public consumption.
9
C
h
a
p
t
e
r
T
h
r
e
e
9
An Overview of the
Department of Home Affairs
10
3.1 INTRODUCTION
Over the years, the DHA has encountered many challenges. It is for this reason that any assessment
into the functions of the Department cannot ignore such context. Primarily, this is because through
understanding the challenges, one can get a proper appreciation of the efforts undertaken by the
Department to overcome them and a more holistic picture of its performance. In this spirit, this chapter
provides an overview of the interventions implemented to assist the Department to overcome service
delivery challenges. The recommendations contained in such reports are also provided. The recurring
challenges, specifcally with regard to Visa Applications and Port Control services, are highlighted to ensure
a better understanding of the scale of the challenge the Department has to deal with in their preparations
for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
3.2 LEGAL CONTEXT OF THE IMMIGRATION SERVICES INCLUDED IN THE
STUDY
The Department of Home Affairs derives its mandate from the Constitution of the Republic
15
. The
founding provisions of the Constitution outline citizenship in the South African context, and the equality
imperative. In meeting this constitutional imperative, DHA must affrm the identity of all citizens and
enable them to exercise their rights and responsibilities. Given South Africa’s past, the Department is
expected to carry out its mandate in a manner that promotes access to services, supports democracy and
contributes to social and economic development in the country. Table 2 below broadly refects the key
pieces of legislation the DHA has to meet to fulfll its mandate, particularly as it pertains to civic affairs,
immigration services and status of refugees.
Table 2: Description of the Legislative Frameworks that inform the functions of
DHA
16
CONSTITUTION/PRESCRIPT DESCRIPTION
The Constitution of the Republic of South
Africa, Act 108, 1996
16
.
Chapter 1, Section 3 states the following:
“(1) There is a common South African citizenship.
(2) All citizens are:
• Equally entitled to the rights, privileges and benefts
of citizenship; and
• Equally subject to the duties and responsibilities of
citizenship.
(3) National legislation must provide for the acquisition,
loss and restoration of citizenship.”
Chapter 2: Bill of Rights, Section 20 states:
“No citizen may be deprived of citizenship.”
Section 21 states:
“(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave the Republic.
(3) Every citizen has the right to enter, to remain in and to
reside everywhere in, the Republic.
(4) Every citizen has the right to a passport.”
(These 2 sections are subject to Section 33 of Chapter
2).
15
Republic of South Africa. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Act No. 108 of 1996.
16
Republic of South Africa. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Act No. 108 of 1996.
11
Immigration Act, No 13, 2002.
17
The Act provides for the regulation of admission of
persons to, their residence in, and their departure from
the Republic and for matters connected therewith.
According to the Act, the following are the functions of
the DHA:
• The control of movement of people in and out of
South Africa through:
• controlling admissions into and departures from
South Africa at designated Ports of Entry (PoEs),
• issuing Visas to facilitate the movement of people
in and out of South Africa, and
• issuing of permits to facilitate residence in South
Africa.
• The detection, detention and deportation of illegal
foreigners.
• The administration of applications for asylum.
Immigration Amendment Act, No 19 of
2004.
18
Section 9 (1) states that “no person shall enter or depart
from the Republic at a place other than a port of entry”.
Section 9 (3) states that “no person shall enter or depart
from the Republic unless in possession of a valid passport
…”
United Nations Convention Relating to the
Status of Refugees
19
.
The Convention sets out the rights of individuals who
are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations
that grant asylum. The Convention also provides for
visa-free travel for holders of travel documents issued
under the convention.
DHA Enterprise Architecture Manuals (Visa
Applications and Admissions)
20
The manuals provide guidelines on the visa applications
and port control services processes.
The current study focuses on the Immigration functions of DHA as refected in the table above. The
functions include the control of the movement of foreigners in and out of South Africa at designated Ports
of Entry, and the issuance of Visas to facilitate this movement of foreigners through the country’s borders.
17
18
19
20
3.3 HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS’ SERVICE
DELIVERY CHALLENGES
The DHA interfaces with the lives of citizens from the “cradle to the grave”. Through this interaction it
handles birth, marriage and death certifcates, including Identity Documents and Passports. In addition, it
deals with visas for visitors to the country, work permits for foreigners and documents for refugees and
asylum seekers. Given this central role, it is constantly in the public eye and its performance is under
intense scrutiny.
Unfortunately, through the years, the Department has been faced with many service delivery challenges,
and much negative feedback on the rate and quality of its services. Perceptions of its ineffciency abound in
the public eye, and media reports suggest that both South African citizens and foreign customers regularly
complain about the poor quality of services delivered by the Department
21
. It has also not escaped the
scrutiny of the South African courts, where a Cape High Court judge questioned how much longer the
Department would be ‘allowed to remain dysfunctional’ before ‘getting its act together’
22
In 2007, the
Cape Immigration Compass reported that “the apparent lack of service delivery at the department of
17
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Immigration Act, Act No. 13 of 2002.
18
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Immigration Ammendment Act.. Act No. 19 of 2004.
19
United Nations. Convention Relating to the Status of refugees and Stateless Persons. Resolution 429 (v) of 14 December 1950. 28 July 1951.
20
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. DHA Enterprise Architecture. Admissions. 2006
21
Cape Argus. Ella Smook. “Home Affairs needs monitor with a whip”. 19 February 2008.
22
De Gaulle Kiliko and others vs the Minister of Home Affairs and others; case no. 2730/05 in the Cape High Court, 2005.
12
Home Affairs has driven a local business that specialises in immigration to address its concerns to the
President”
23
about the situation becoming disastrous.
Much of the perceptions about DHA have been borne out by empirical data. In her budget speech on
30 May 2006
24
, the Minister of Home Affairs, Ms N Mapisa-Nqakula, also admitted that the Department
was facing serious challenges as far as service delivery is concerned. She raised “serious weaknesses the
Department was experiencing at organisational and policy levels and the fact that such weaknesses had
a negative impact on the ability of the Department to function effectively”
25
and identifed the need for
external assistance in addressing such challenges. Stemming from such a request, the Director-General
of the Offce of the Public Service Commission (OPSC) led a Support Intervention Team comprising the
OPSC, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and the Auditor-General
26
.
Apart from its involvement in this intervention, the PSC has also conducted research in the Department.
Two of these research studies were Inspections of Public Service Delivery Sites
27
during 2006/2007 and
a Citizen Satisfaction Survey which included the Department of Home Affairs during the same fnancial
year
28
. The PSC commented mainly on the rate and quality of service delivery of the Department. For
example, the PSC in its Consolidated Report on Inspections of Public Service Delivery Sites
29
reported
that the service users at the Johannesburg International Airport indicated that they had been in the
queues for more than three (3) hours. Turnaround times were also reported in the same report as being
problematic with clients having to return to offces more than fve times without receiving the documents
they had applied for.
In addition to these PSC studies, in 2001 the DHA conducted an evaluation of its service delivery quality
and its service standards
30
. Table 3 below refects the main issues addressed in the above three research
studies as well as the main recommendations from each.
Table 3: Synopsis of Issues and Recommendations Relevant to this Study made in
the Research Studies in the DHA
RESEARCH STUDY
MAIN ISSUES
ADDRESSED MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
South African Migration
Project (SAMP), 2001
Service Delivery Quality
Performance and Service
Standards
• Training programmes and other measures
needed to be put in place to ensure that
particularly front line staff had a more
in-depth understanding and knowledge
of the legislation administered by the
Department.
• Batho Pele implementation had to be
strengthened.
• Customer Satisfaction should be
measured on a continuous basis.
23
www.immigration-south-africa.co.za/cape-town/immigration-news/home-affairs. Home Affairs service is “catastrophic”. 5 July 2007.
24.
www.home-affairs.gov.za/speeches Address by Hon NN Mapisa Nqakula on the occasion of the presentation of the 2006 Budget Vote of the department of Home
Affairs (Budget Vote 4), 2006, May 30 Cape Town 30 May 2006.
25
Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. Budget Vote of the Department of Home Affairs. 2006.
26
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
27
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Consolidated Report on Inspections of Public Service Delivery Sites. August 2007.
28
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Citizen Satisfaction Survey 2006/2007: Department of Home Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry and
Transport Services by Provincial Departments. 2007.
29
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Consolidated Report on Inspections of Public Service Delivery Sites. August 2007.
30
South African Migration Project. The Quality of Migration Service Delivery in South Africa. 2004.
13
RESEARCH STUDY
MAIN ISSUES
ADDRESSED MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
Consolidated Report
on Inspections of Public
Service Delivery Sites,
2006
31
Assess the quality of services
provided to the public and
determine if departments
are meeting the required
service standards and the
needs of the people using
the service.
• The Department has to review its policy
on the employment of interns in critical
positions.
• Vacant posts had to be flled as a matter
of urgency.
• The Department needed to employ
foor walkers for escorting citizens to
appropriate counters on arrival.
• Concerns of staff regarding the grading of
certain key posts needed to be further
investigated.
• The Department had to ensure the
implementation of its PMDS.
• The need to professionalise immigration
services to entrench loyalty and raise
staff ’s morale, was identifed.
• Security had to be strengthened especially
at Johannesburg International Airport and
Marabastad Immigration offces.
Citizen Satisfaction
Survey 2006/2007: De-
partment of Home
Affairs, Department
of Trade and Industry
and Transport Services
by Provincial Depart-
ments
32
Level of satisfaction of
service users.
• When planning new service points, the
Department had to take the accessibility
and safety of such locations into account.
• The implementation of service delivery
improvement plans by the Department
had to be speeded up, and the service
call centre had to come into operation.
• Structures and systems had to be
developed as a matter of urgency
and implemented to ensure internal
communication and consultation between
the management of service points and
other operational components in the
Department.
• Adequate systems needed to be
established to promote consultation
between the Department and citizens
to ensure that the needs of internal
and external clients are responded to
effectively and effciently.
• The number of staff on duty at each
individual service point had to be
determined scientifcally by professional
consultants, and had to be implemented
as soon as possible.
• The Department had to assess work
processes in order to determine the most
effective and effcient way to deliver the
required documentation.
31
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Ccnsolidate Report on Inspections of Public Service Delivery Sites. August 2007.
32
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Citizen Satisfaction Survey 2006/2007. Department of Home Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry and
Transport Services by Provincial Departments. 2007
14
RESEARCH STUDY
MAIN ISSUES
ADDRESSED MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
• Administrative procedures for control
and tracking of applications had to be
formalised and implemented.
• Technical support for all work processes
had to be upgraded and maintained
effciently.
• The Department had to develop a
formalised complaints handling system.
• An effective system to monitor these
complaints had to be implemented
31
Obviously, the above research studies are not the only studies carried out in the Department. They are
specifcally mentioned to indicate the research history the PSC has in the Department and to contextualise
its understanding of the challenges facing the Department.
32
Apart from such evaluations, there have been specifc targeted interventions into the DHA. It is important
again for contextual reasons, to highlight the more recent interventions. Table 4 below provides an
overview of these interventions and the broad recommendations made from such interventions.
Table 4: Synopsis of Issues and Recommendations Relevant to this Study made in
Previous Interventions in the DHA
33
32
Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission. Citizen Satisfaction Survey 2006/2007. Department of Home Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry and
Transport Services by Provincial Departments. 2007
33
Turnaround Strategy. DHA Turnaround Programme and Projects Review: May/June 2004. Unpublished document.
INTER-
VENTIONS
SINCE 2004 OVERVIEW OF INTERVENTIONS
Turnaround
Strategy
(TAS),
2004
33
.
The Director-General in the DHA initiated a Turnaround Strategy in September
2003 at a management meeting with a view of the overall improvement of internal
capacity and service delivery challenges he identifed during his visits to some of the
DHA offces. One offcial was seconded from the DPSA to assist the Department.
Strategic challenges were identifed and grouped into ten (10) critical intervention areas,
namely, Immigration, Civic Services, Service Delivery, Leadership and
Management, People, Infrastructure, Finance and Procurement,
Information Technology, Counter Corruption and the Government
Printing Works.
In April 2004 the DHA appointed additional programme and project management
capacity under the auspices of the IBM consortium to support the TAS. The TAS was
also integrated into the 2004 departmental Business Plan.
Main recommendations from the TAS intervention:
• The immigration processes had to be reviewed with the aim of eliminating red tape
and enhancing effciency.
• The Department should reorganize itself to provide for an Immigration Branch
alongside the Civic Services Branch. This reorganisation would require the refnement
of personnel and logistical matters.
• The Department had to establish a Client Service Centre which can be utilised by
clients as well as departmental offces to check the status of applications and to
troubleshoot problems.
• The management team should be strengthened to ensure more in depth reporting
on progress.
15
INTER-
VENTIONS
SINCE 2004 OVERVIEW OF INTERVENTIONS
• The DHA management should be able to manage change and prevent the organisation
to stagnate.
• The Department should develop a personnel recruitment and replenishment
strategy to ensure that critical posts are flled. In the longer term, the Department
should develop an integrated human resource strategy to recruit, retain and develop
the right number of staff, with the right skills and the right equity profle.
• The Department should terminate the over-utilisation of volunteers.
• To end the practice of critical vacancies remaining vacant for extended periods of
time and staff members being appointed in acting capacities for which they might be
ill-equipped, employees with potential should be identifed to take up supervisory
and management positions when the latter become vacant.
• The Department should ensure that the PMDS translates the strategic plan of the
Department into operational plans and individual performance agreements.
• The Department should do an audit of the location, condition and equipment of each
offce. A basic standard for all offces in relation to client-management, workfow
and signage had to be developed.
• The Department should launch a national volunteer campaign to implement the
standard signage that will form part of the Department’s corporate identity.
• The Department had to ensure that arrangements were made for the acquisition of a
new head Offce building that could accommodate all the functions of the Department
in one building.
• Document management and workfow management systems needed to be put in
place.
• In order to provide fully computerised, client-centred services it will be necessary
to test, design and implement enterprise-wide platforms and communication
capabilities.
• Security standards needed to be developed to ensure data integrity.
Support
Intervention
Team (SIT)
2007
34
.
The Minister of Home Affairs identifed the need for external assistance to address challenges
the DHA was facing in her budget speech on 30 May 2006. A Support Intervention
Team, comprising the OPSC, the DPSA, the Accountant General (AG) and the DHA
was established to address the issues raised by the Minister and the Portfolio Committee.
The Intervention focused on fve areas, namely, Leadership and
Management, Human Resources, Information and Communication
Technology, Service Delivery and Financial Management.
Main recommendations of the SIT:
• Leadership and management capacity should be strengthened by including
competency-based assessments in the selection and appointment process of all
Senior Management Service (SMS) members.
• The Department should instill a culture of governance, ethics and compliance
across the department through ongoing training and development and should take
disciplinary steps against SMS members who fail to adhere to legislative frameworks
of the Public Service.
• A proper monitoring and evaluation system should be put in place to ensure that
management takes informed decisions.
• The recruitment and selection process needs priority attention and an external
service provider should be appointment to ensure that funded vacant posts are flled
as soon as possible.
34
The fnal report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007
16
INTER-
VENTIONS
SINCE 2004 OVERVIEW OF INTERVENTIONS
• A coherent ICT strategy should be developed. The Department should consolidate
and fast-track the implementation for short term initiatives that aims at addressing
critical service delivery pressures.
• The Department should consider the establishment of a separate budget programme for
information services in the budget of the Department in order to improve transparency
and accountability in the use of funds specifcally for IT and related services.
• The Department should ensure that programme managers set priorities and
time frames for projects and ensure the necessary synergies across business
units. Performance Agreements of managers fully refect their programme and
project responsibilities to facilitate accountability for implementing key turnaround
programmes.
• Project managers should further undergo project management training.
• Consideration should be given to decentralising certain services to regional offces to
improve the interface with the public.
The table above highlights the key issues that have been recurring in the Department since 2004. The
following are the key issues raised:
34
3.3.1 High Vacancy rate
The intervention reports have raised the issue of the high vacancy rate in the Department and how
it affects the service delivery of the Department. Among the positions that were vacant, were senior
positions e.g. those of programme managers at Chief Director level. In some instances posts had been
vacant for more than two years with no indication of when they would be flled. Vacant management
positions also hampered the implementation of programmes and plans to address challenges.
It was recommended in the Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in
the Department of Home Affairs
35
that the Department appoint an external service provider to assist it
in flling its funded vacant posts. Ensuring that all vacant posts are flled as a matter of urgency was also
supported by the Turnaround Strategy
36
.
3.3.2 Implementation of a Performance Management Development System
Both of the intervention reports on the Department referred to the fact that although a Performance
Management Development System (PMDS) had been introduced, it was not rigourously implemented
to ensure that all offcials are regularly assessed. Performance of Senior Managers had also not been
linked to the Key Result Areas and Core Management Criteria in the Performance Agreements. The
Performance Agreements of the programme managers did not refect their responsibilities with regard
to the implementation of turnaround programmes which meant that they could not be held accountable
for the implementation of these programmes and projects. The failure to implement a PMDS hampers
the assessment of achieving key objectives and outputs. According to the reports, managers also did not
understand their specifc role in the implementation of the PMDS and staff indicated that the fact that they
had not been assessed contributed to low staff morale.
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of
Home Affairs
37
recommended that the Department had to ensure that managers in the Department
take responsibility for the effective implementation of the PMDS. It was also recommended that the
Department should ensure that Senior Managers are subjected to competency assessments as part of the
selection process.
34
The fnal report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007
35
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
36
Turnaround Strategy. DHA Turnaround Programme and Projects Review. May/June 2004. Unpublished document.
37
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
17
3.3.3 Posts are not Properly Graded
Both intervention reports identifed the grading of Immigration Offcer posts in particular as problematic.
The incumbents of these posts form a very important link in the service delivery chain as frst contact
point for foreign visitors to the country. The offcials also deal with port security matters where the
country’s security is at stake. Previous efforts to address this issue have apparently not been successful
and have left the Department with problems in its reporting structure where supervisors and offcers are
now on the same post level.
The Turnaround Strategy
38
and the SIT recommended that the Department should ensure that staffng
capacity is brought up to levels where effective and effcient service delivery could be ensured. In this
regard job evaluation outcomes of posts of Immigration Offcer at levels 7 – 12 were approved by the
Minister in November 2006
39
.
3.3.4 Lack of Monitoring and Evaluation
No clear monitoring and evaluation system could be identifed by any of the intervention reports. The
absence of a M&E system suggests that the Department had not integrated measures into its planning
and operational processes to track progress or to indicate where changes need to be effected. A proper
monitoring and evaluation system would have enabled the department to assess its performance with
regard to its programmes on a continuous basis and to pre-empt the need for corrective action where
performance was not according to plans.
The SIT recommended in the Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in
the Department of Home Affairs
40
that a proper monitoring and evaluation system be put in place. The
Turnaround Strategy
41
recommended that such a system should, apart from programme performance also
monitor staff ’s attitudes.
3.3.5 Information Technology Systems are not Integrated
Since the 2004 intervention, the Department had developed an Information Technology Strategy.
However, the strategy was still identifed as dysfunctional because it did not link all systems and could not
provide the Department with real-time information. This is the information needed to take decisions
about the risk in the admission of a person into the country based on previous encounters with the person
in question. Having real-time information available at the service point will speed up decisions on such
admission.
The SIT recommended in the Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention
in the Department of Home Affairs
42
that the Department should develop an integrated Information
Technology Strategy. It further recommended that the Department should fast-track the implementation
of short term initiatives that were aimed at addressing critical service delivery pressures.
3.3.6 Inadequate Infrastructure
Both of the intervention reports on the Department also highlighted the challenges the Department
faces in terms of infrastructure issues such as physical status, the inconsistency in terms of quality and
procedures being followed in rendering services and the absence of a basic standard with regard to
customer management, signage and process fow measures. Infrastructure provides a key framework for
the Department to render its services and the impact of the inadequate infrastructure was often evident
in the poor quality of service delivery. The inability to manage queues and work processes often led to
long queues, customers being sent from one counter to another and (customer) complaints of ineffciency.
38
Turnaround Strategy. DHA Turnaround Programme and Projects Review. May/June 2004. Unpublished document.
39
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
40
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
41
Turnaround Strategy. DHA Turnaround Programme and Projects Review. May/June 2004. Unpublished document.
42
The Final Report to the Committee of Ministers on the Support Intervention in the Department of Home Affairs. Unpublished document. January 2007.
18
3.4 CURRENT STRATEGY TO ADDRESS SERVICE DELIVERY CHALLENGES
In 2007, the DHA appointed a Turnaround Programme (TAP) to provide technical support to the
Department in addressing its service delivery challenges while also planning for the challenges the future
would hold. After the previous interventions in the Department, there could be scepticism around this
current intervention. Comfort is, however, drawn from the fact that this is not seen as a reinvention of the
wheel but rather as building on the research and recommendations of the previous interventions as well
as the lessons learnt from these. The Minister of Home Affairs said as much when she indicated that this
current intervention is in the second phase
43
of what had been done in terms of SIT. This report found
the following:
• “A lack of strategic leadership and management capability;
• The Department still lacks a cohesive management team capable of driving its transformation agenda;
• A lack of urgency and adherence to deadlines; and
• A general crisis response to problems due to poor management.”
TAP focuses mainly on the key themes refected in Table 5 below.
Table 5: Issues outlined in the Turnaround Programme
44
KEY THEMES SPECIFIC ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED
Service Delivery Concept of citizen or customer as “king”.
Cumbersome business management processes.
Loss of key people on a regular basis.
Corruption, Security and Risk Low motivation, poor supervision.
Infringement of standard business rules and breach of security.
Aversion to technology.
Scant attention to risk management.
Weak management and control processes.
Organisational Structure and
People
Steeply hierarchical management structure.
Over-centralised decision making.
Limited business understanding: who is the customer?
Inappropriate training.
Limited management skills.
IT and Facilities Unstable IT and communication infrastructure.
Inadequate infrastructure rollout to local and international offces.
Systems not linked to one another (e.g. Border Post immigration
Systems).
Duplication of systems and information (silo-based approach) which is
costly and effects security.
Inappropriate offces layout and limited footprint.
Rudimentary asset management practices.
43
Change Agents. Financial Mail. 5 December 2008.
44
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Presentation to Business Unit, South Africa. Building a new Home Affairs. 4 April 2008.
19
The issues addressed in Table 5 above were identifed by the TAP and are critical to the functioning of
the DHA. Accordingly, these issues have been built into the DHA 2010 Plan
45
as well as the Department’s
Strategic Plan for 2008/09 – 2010/11
46
. They also resonate with the recurring challenges identifed earlier
in this Chapter. It is, however, important to note that the above list is only a summary of the issues
addressed by TAP and is by no means a comprehensive list of all the issues addressed in the Programme.
Once these critical issues are successfully addressed, they could go a long way towards ensuring a more
sustainable solution to the challenges affecting the Department. Given this possibility it was important for
this study to interact with the plans and assess progress made to date. At the same time the study was
mindful of the fact that many actions to address the challenges are in progress and a defnitive view on
their possible success rate will not be possible. However, progress on plans relevant to visa applications
and visitor admittance processes are covered in Chapter 4 including progress on the implementation of
the plans for 2010.
45
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. 2010 Plan. 2008.
46
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Strategic Plan 2008/09 – 2010/11.
Findings
C
h
a
p
t
e
r
F
o
u
r
20
21
4.1 INTRODUCTION
The chapter presents an analysis of the key fndings of the study. The fndings are presented according to
the following key themes derived from the objectives of the study:
• Current state of service delivery in terms of processing visa applications and managing Ports of Entry.
• Degree to which the Department has put in place plans, programmes, processes and or systems
to effectively and effciently manage the visa application and foreign visitor admittance processes in
preparation for the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup events.
• Progress the Department has made in the implementation of the plans for 2010.
Critical issues from previous reports on the two functions under review in the study namely, visa applications
and port control, were also considered in the presentation and analysis of the fndings.
4.2 KEY FINDINGS
4.2.1 Current State of Service Delivery in terms of Processing Visa Applications and Managing
Ports of Entry
The study sought to establish the Department’s current processes of visa applications and admitting foreign
visitors into the country at Ports of Entry and to determine any delays or constraints in the processes. The
study found the following with regard to visa applications and port control services:
4.2.1.1 Delays are experienced in the visa applications process
The Department has a clear step by step process for the processing of visa applications as well as service
standards to be adhered to. In terms of these service standards the following seven steps should be
completed within a period of fve working days
47
.
1. Locally Recruited Personnel (LRP) accepts application.
2. Application scrutinised for completeness of submitted documents.
3. Application registered and captured on Visa System.
4. DHA transferred offcial scrutinises application, does the necessary investigation and arranges for an
interview with applicant (if necessary).
5. Visa approved and issued (if all requirements are met and no negative information found).
6. Records closed.
7. Passport and visa collected by applicant.
Note: Steps 1 – 3 are carried out by offcials recruited from the country in which the specifc foreign
DHA offce is based. Steps 4 and 5 are carried out by a South African DHA offcial based at the foreign
offce.
In essence, therefore, the applicant should be in possession of his/her visa within 5 days of lodging their
applications. However, the Department has admitted that in some instances delays are experienced.
Such delays are usually caused by incomplete application forms and the absence of required supporting
documents. In such instances, the Department ends up spending more time on step 2 (application
scrutinized for completeness of submitted documents) as the rest of the process depends on the availability
of all the necessary information. This negatively impacts on the smooth processing of steps in the above
mentioned process. Inevitably, incomplete applications are sent back to the applicants who are then
required to supply the Department with the necessary supporting documents. In such instances, the fve
day turnaround time is not complied with.
With the increase in prospective visitors expected to visit South Africa for 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup
and the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, it is likely that there would be a greater infux of visa applicants. It is
47
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. DHA Enterprise Architecture. Administer Admissions. 2006.
22
also likely that as people will be in a hurry to get their visa applications processed, there may be an increase
in the number of incomplete documents submitted and with this the concomitant delays. An encouraging
observation in this regard is that when delays are experienced, they are not primarily as a result of poor
service delivery on the part of the Department. Indeed, indications are that the Department is currently
managing to process visa applications on time
48
. For example, during 2007/08 the Department issued
558 375 visas and rejected 7 578 visa applications, and 95% of these were processed within the fve (5)
day standard turnaround time. However, while the current capacity may be adequate for now, it can
be expected that there will be a high volume of visa applications during 2010 and that more capacity
will be required to ensure that the 5-day turn around standard is maintained. In terms of the plans the
Department has put in place for 2010, there is provision to bring on board additional staff to assist in this
regard.
4.2.1.2 The Department’s systems are not integrated or linked to one another
The Department’s systems are not integrated and linked to one another and to the databases of other
departments. For example, when a foreign visitor applies for a visa to enter South Africa while in his/her
country, his/her details are only captured on the Visa System at the foreign DHA offce. However, these
details are not in turn transmitted to the Movement Control System (MCS) which inter alia provides
information on risks that a prospective visitor holds for the country. A visitor’s information is only captured
on the MCS once they arrive at a Port of Entry. It is, therefore, possible that an undesirable person
49
can be issued with a visa in his/her home country and only be discovered when he/she arrives at a South
African Port of Entry. With identity theft being on the increase globally
50
it is possible under these
circumstances that an innocent person with a legitimate visa could be incorrectly identifed as undesirable
and refused entry to the country. If the Department’s systems are integrated it will be possible to do the
necessary cross-checks on time and to avoid such unnecessary inconveniences.
4.2.1.3 Delays are experienced in the Port Control Process
There are six (6) steps that must be followed in the port control process where foreign visitors enter the
Republic. These steps
51
are:
1. Accept passport and supporting documents (e.g. work permits, study permits and travel documents
where, for instance, a visitor will be undergoing medical treatment in the country).
2. Validate passport against a list of requirements for a passport to be regarded valid. This list will
include, for example, the expiry date and the authority who issued the passport.
3. Refuse entry (if passport is not valid). If the passport is valid, the DHA offcial will carry on with
process steps 4 to 6.
4. Capture applicant’s details onto the movement control system. The foreign visitor’s personal and
contact details, place of origin, destination in the country, reason and duration of stay are captured on
this system. The information enables the DHA immigration offcers to trace foreign visitors, should
it be necessary.
5. Check warning list. The warning list contains details of, for instance, foreign visitors who have been
declined entry in the past or have overstayed the period they had been allowed to stay in the country
(as indicated on a travel permit or visa, where applicable).
6. Capture details of entry. These details confrm the date, time and point of entry into the country.
Note: All these steps are carried out in South Africa. Step 3 only takes place where the passport is
found to be invalid.
On average it takes twenty (20) minutes to process the above eight (8) steps
52
. Taking into consideration
the international best practice of interaction between a traveler and an immigration offcial of up to one
48
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. 2007/2008 Annual Report.
49
In terms of the Immigration Act of the Republic of South Africa, Act No. 13 of 2002 a undesirable person includes any foreigner who is likely to become a public
charge or is a fugitive from justice.
50
Willox, N A, Regan, TM, O’Connor, C. Identity Fraud: Providing Solutions. Jpurnal of economic Crime Management. Summer 2002, Volume1, Issue1.
51
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. National Immigration Branch – Administer Admissions. DHA Enterprise Architecture. April 2006.
52
During peak times the average time might be longer.
23
minute and 30 seconds (which the Department hopes to surpass), there is still room for improvement to
minimise delays in the port control process
53
. Based on its in loco inspections of selected PoEs, the PSC
believes that the delays can be attributed to the fact that one Immigration Offcer is expected to take
a visitor through all the eight steps in the process. This would not necessarily be a problem if enough
counters are open at a time to serve visitors. However, during its inspections the PSC found that only a
few counters would be open to provide a service. In fact, on the day of the inspection at the Beit Bridge
PoE, the PSC found that, although two counters were open, visitors were allowed to use only one as
shown in Picture 1 below.
Picture 1: Public Area at Beit Bridge Port of Entry
Customers queuing in front of one counter while an adjacent one manned
by a Home Affairs offcial, is unused.
A further contributing factor to the delays is a lack of proper queue management systems at PoEs. The
absence of such queue management systems often leads to uncertainty amongst service users, regarding
which queue to stand in. Such uncertainty inevitable results in delays in service users getting served.
There are also no foor walkers
54
to assist people with directions to relevant service counters. The PSC
further found that at four of the PoEs (Oshoek, Lebombo, Beit Bridge and Skilpadshek) that the fow of
clients is not managed into different rows and that the work processes are also not managed. (Picture 2
below refects the absence of a queue management system at Oshoek). This corroborates the results of
a previous PSC study on the DHA which found, among others, that most delivery points did not have
dedicated staff members who guide service users to appropriate counters
55
.
Picture 2: Public Area at Oshoek Border Post
At many Ports of Entry the public area is very small and narrow and does not allow for
a proper queue. Since there is no electronic queue management system in place, customers
tend to bundle in front of the counters as shown in this picture of Oshoek Border Post.
53
Republic of South Africa. Government Communication and Information System. New “event visa” to help process 2010 visitors faster. BuaNews. 9 December
2008.
54
Floor Walkers are offcials assigned to direct the public to the appropriate service counters.
55
Republic of South Africa. Consolidated Report on Inspections of public Service Delivery Sites. August 2007.
24
4.2.1.4 The Department has made Special Arrangements at Ports of Entry to facilitate the entry
and exit of bus passengers and dignitaries
The Department has minimised congestion at the arrival and departure areas. It has, for instance, moved
away from the arrangement where all visitors would use the same queue (passengers of taxis/buses as
well as cars). In some instances, dedicated Immigration Offcers would board the buses in efforts to save
passengers time in not having to alight buses/taxis, queue at the counters and board buses/taxis again.
This arrangement has improved service delivery at the Land Ports of Entry in particular, and the arrival and
departure areas are not congested. It also leaves foreign visitors with an impression of effciency because
of the shorter queues and expedited process.
In addition, at two of the Land Ports of Entry included in the study, namely, Beit Bridge (bordering
Zimbabwe) and Lebombo (bordering Mozambique) provision is made for processing dignitaries or Very
Important People (VIPs) at a separate counter. At Ports of Entry where this arrangement is not in place,
dignitaries often complain that they have to queue during peak times for long periods to get through the
borders. This is especially the case where queues are also not properly managed.
4.3 DEGREE TO WHICH THE DEPARTMENT HAS PUT IN PLACE PLANS IN
PREPARATION FOR THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP EVENTS
The study sought to establish what plans, programmes, processes and/or systems the Department has put
in place in preparation for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. It was found that the Department has developed
detailed integrated plans (covering all relevant programmes such as visa applications and port control) with
regard to the 2009 and 2010 FIFA events
56
.
It was deemed prudent to establish whether the planning processes are including all the different role
players at the different levels. The fndings of the study show that at cluster level, the Department of
Home Affairs worked with the other role players in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster
on the guarantees needed by the Local Organising Committee to ensure South Africa’s hosting of the
FIFA events. Although it was indicated that the Department’s Provincial Managers were involved in the
development of the 2010 plans for the PoEs, the managers of most of the PoEs visited by the PSC indicated
that they were not directly involved in the process. The PoE managers felt that they should have been
involved because they are well-positioned to know the challenges experienced in the PoE processes.
Overall, the plans address the following four critical priorities of the Department, namely, infrastructure
development, strengthening Human Resource capacity, improving business processes and promoting
communication.
4.3.1 Infrastructure Development
The Department plans to introduce a system that will allow the sharing of airline passenger data to
facilitate the pre-screening of passengers prior to their departure or arrival
57
. Through this process,
passengers posing a high security risk can be identifed and even be prevented from traveling to the
country. This is an important development considering that at the moment the systems in use are not
allowing the Department to get a single view of information on each and every person that enters or
leaves the country. The PSC found, for example, that currently there is no real-time connection between
Ports of Entry and the mainframe systems of the Department. This leads to the inability of Ports of Entry
to track the movement of foreigners claiming refugee status after they have left the Port.
The Department is also working closely with the Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee
(BCOCC) to implement an infrastructure roll-out plan for Ports of Entry. The BCOCC has established an
infrastructure committee which serves as a single point of contact in terms of infrastructural development
and maintenance at the Ports of Entry. Having a Committee such as this is an important step towards
56
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Powerpoint Presentation to the 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee. August 2008.
57
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. National Immigration Branch – APP Business Case DHA Enterprise Architecture. April 2006.
25
improving the sharing of physical resources at Ports of Entry and ensuring that there are standards which
all physical infrastructure at Ports of Entry are expected to meet. During its in loco inspections at the
Oshoek, Lebombo, Beit Bridge, Skilpadshek and Maseru Bridge Ports of Entry, the PSC found, for example,
that currently signage directing customers to the correct counter in terms of the specifc service needed
by the customer is inadequate. Although a corporate image has been established in other offces of the
Department (rendering Civic Services), it was clear that the above PoEs still have to make do with their
own improvisations in terms of signage or directing people.
4.3.2 Strengthening Human Resources Capacity
As shown in Chapter 3 of this report, the Department is faced with critical challenges in the area of human
resource management and capacity. These include high vacancy rate, posts that are not properly graded,
among others. In order to address these and other challenges in preparation for 2010, the Department
has developed human resource plans. The plans include the deployment of Airline Liaison Offcers (ALOs)
to advise on the acceptability of passengers and their travel documents prior to boarding, the appointment
of more Immigration Offcers at OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports, the training of Foreign
Affairs offcials as Immigration Offcers, the recruitment of volunteers to assist with queue management
and special arrangements to fy extra offcials from one Port of Entry to another to provide support during
peak times.
The ALOs will be deployed to the various countries identifed as posing a security risk, and will primarily
advise on the acceptability of passengers and their travel documents prior to boarding. The ALOs will
also render overall support to airline staff by providing training on the security features of South African
passports, visas and other travel permits. One hundred and seventy six (176) new recruits will be deployed
as Immigration Offcers at the OR Tambo International Airports and Cape Town International Airport,
where the biggest infux at prospective spectators are expected to enter the country for the two FIFA
events. Addressing a business breakfast on 21 October 2008, the Minister of Home Affairs, Ms Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula said that these offcials will “start working shortly to ensure that they are well into a
routine by next June and certainly by 2010”
58
.
During the peak times, to ensure that all the critical PoEs have the necessary human resource capacity,
special arrangements will be made to even fy in extra offcials from other Ports of Entry to provide the
necessary support. These arrangements will be applied where unexpected numbers of prospective
visitors would be experienced. For example, if the system shows that two extra planes of visitors are
fying in at OR Tambo International Airport from London at a particular time, arrangements would be
made to get extra personnel at OR Tambo International Airport to process their arrival. Furthermore,
should the system indicate that three (3) buses would be coming in at Beit Bridge Border Post, the
teams on “stand-by” will be fown in to that PoE to fast-track the processing of passengers’ entry into the
country. It was not clear whether these arrangements had been costed in detail and whether all practical
arrangements had been worked out.
Clearly, these are simply interim arrangements to deal with the service delivery demands that the FIFA
World Cup may impose on the Department. In the long run, the Department will still have to ensure
that the fundamental human resource management challenges inhibiting service delivery are dealt with
decisively. These include establishing and sustaining a culture of accounting for performance, ensuring
rigour in the recruitment and selection processes of senior managers and retaining staff.
4.3.3 Improving Business Processes
The effectiveness of the current business processes of the Department is uneven, with visa applications
being managed better while the port control processes still manifest key weaknesses. The high volume
of visitors expected during the 2010 FIFA World Cup will most probably put pressure on these business
processes with the risk that quality and turnaround times may be affected. The Department has, therefore,
developed initiatives to improve business processes at the PoEs and foreign missions. These include the
58 Vivian Warby. South Africa 2010 website. Special visa for Confederations Cup and 2010. 21 October 2008.
26
clearance of visitors prior to their departure from their home country, the installation of intelligent travel
document readers to ascertain the authenticity of travel documents and the introduction of a special
events visa.
The clearance of visitors prior to their departure from their home country will be facilitated through
the installation of an Advanced Passenger Information (API) and an Advanced Passenger Processing
(APP) system. The system will allow the sharing of airline passenger data to facilitate the pre-screening of
passengers prior to departure or arrival
59
. The pre-screening will be based on the information provided by
airlines collected from the remote airport and will be applicable to all passengers and crew traveling by air
to South Africa. Through this process, passengers posing a high security risk can be identifed and even
be prevented from traveling to the country.
The installation of intelligent travel document readers will be another feature in the package of systems
that minimise risks and speed up service delivery at Ports of Entry. The system will expedite the capturing
of travellers’ information and contribute towards reducing fraud and corruption at the Ports of Entry.
A further development which seeks to improve the effectiveness and effciency of the management of
the immigration processes would be the introduction of a special events visa. The visa will be issued free
of charge to visitors and will offer them convenient access to the country through various ports of entry.
However, the PSC found during this study that one of the critical areas the Department needs to also
address is the interface of its services with those of other agencies such as the South African Revenue
Services. Currently, the integration of services is not optimal, leading to delays at Ports of Entry. At
the Beit Bridge Border Post, for instance, a 4
1
/2 kilometer queue of trucks was observed during the
unannounced visit by the PSC, as shown in Picture 3 below. While the long queue could quite readily
be blamed on the Department by uninformed passers-by, the delays were, in fact, as a result of the South
African Revenue Services (SARS)’ processes. Given the large amount of cargo that normally moves across
the Beit Bridge border, SARS has a critical responsibility to ensure that the necessary customs declarations
are done by the visitors and are accordingly verifed.
Picture 3: Four and a half kilometer queue of trucks at Beit Bridge
Often queues like these are wrongly attributed to the ineffciency and ineffectiveness
on the side of the DHA while delays in the processes of SARS are actually the cause
of the delays.
4.3.4 Promoting Communication
All the efforts of the Department towards delivering improved services during the 2010 FIFA World Cup
may not amount to much unless they are accompanied by an effective awareness raising campaign which
informs the public about what is available as well as their responsibilities. In this regard, communication
59
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. National Immigration Branch – APP Business Case DHA Enterprise Architecture. April
2006.
27
material will be developed for use by the Department internally (e.g. the website) as well as externally
by travel agents, airlines and the media to market the event-specifc services of the department e. g. the
special events visa, the scanning of passports and the dedicated or express lanes. The requirements to
qualify for the events visa will also be published to inform prospective visitors about the process that
will be followed in admitting them to the country. However, the PSC believes that the Department
should infuse its successes/achievements into its external communication. This will change the negative
perceptions about the Department and restore confdence in its services.
4.4 PROGRESS THE DEPARTMENT HAS MADE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE PLANS FOR 2010
The study sought to establish the progress the Department has made in implementing its plans for 2010.
According to progress reports to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on 22 October 2008
60
, the Department
was on track in its implementation of critical measures to ensure its readiness to effectively and effciently
facilitate the movement of the estimated numbers of foreign arrivals at Ports of Entry in 2010.
4.4.1 The Department has put in place Mechanisms for Monitoring the Implementation of Plans
for 2010
Considering the plans the Department has put in place for 2010, it is imperative that an effective mechanism
for monitoring implementation is implemented to help track progress and identify areas where timely
action needs to be taken. The Department has, with the assistance of the TAP, put plans in place to
address most of the challenges it has identifed in its preparations for 2010. However, no system could
be identifed at the offces visited that would be effectively and effciently monitoring the plans and the
impact such plans will have on service delivery and the performance of the PoEs. Instead, the Department
uses is a basic system whereby PoEs report statistics to Head Offce. The statistics is used, for instance,
to estimate expected numbers of visitors at peak times or special celebrations in neighbouring countries.
Numbers of fnes and amounts paid are also reported for audit purposes in a manual system. The different
data sheets on each of the aforementioned data felds are not linked in one system or database, and can
therefore only be used for planning in the specifc functional area. Having the different data felds linked
to one another will facilitate better planning for resources and procurement processes, amongst others. It
should, however, be acknowledged that a useful monitoring mechanism which the Department currently
has is the one used for the Turnaround Programme. In this Programme reports are provided on a weekly
basis to top management of the Department on progress with the implementation of the 2010 projects.
Such reporting should, among others, help draw the attention of management to critical challenges.
4.4.2 There are still Challenges and Constraints Experienced by the Department in Implementing
the Plans for 2010
The implementation of the plans for 2010 is largely still in progress and the PSC is thus mindful of the
fact that under the circumstances it may not be possible to defnitively pronounce on all the challenges,
constraints and successes. Nonetheless, certain important challenges have been identifed for further
consideration and these are discussed below.
4.4.2.1 A Huge Number of Visitors is Expected During 2010
The Department regards the high number of foreign visitors expected to enter South Africa for the two
FIFA events as a challenge because of the strain they are likely to put on the Department’s resources for
managing Ports of Entry. As Figure 1 below shows, the expected increase in foreign arrivals for 2008
to 2010 will rise from 8,3 million in 2008 to 10 million in 2010.
60 Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Report to the 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee. 22 October 2008.
28
Figure 1: Increase in number of foreign arrivals from 2001 to 2010 (including esti-
mations for 2008 to 2010)
Earlier in this Chapter an overview of the Department’s plans for 2010 with regards to the management of
the Ports of Entry was provided. Clearly, there are concerted efforts to ensure that the expected increase
in foreign arrivals is managed effectively at the PoEs. However, an important consideration would be to
ensure that the implementation of the plans is timely and effective enough so that the PoEs can indeed
rise to the occasion and meet the demands of 2010.
4.4.4.2 An Increase in Visa Applications is Expected
With the increase in foreign visitors visa applications will also increase. This will place an extra burden
on foreign missions and will require that the Department carefully review its visa processes. A particular
challenge that the Department envisages in this regard, is in terms of the foreign missions in which there
is currently no Department of Home Affairs representation
61
. Fortunately, as part of its plans for 2010
the Department has made provision for training foreign affairs offcials in these missions so that can stand
ready to assist with the processing of the visa applications. What is reassuring is the fact that the visa
application process seems to be managed well at the moment with turnaround times being adhered to.
The challenges will, therefore, be largely around taking to scale a process that is already working well.
4.4.4.3 An Increase in Inspectorate Functions is Expected
The study established that an increase in prospective visitors entering the country will lead to an increase
in inspectorate functions
62
. With more people entering the country it is also estimated that the number
of opportunistic, unlawful foreigners entering the country will also increase as well as the opportunities
for the Department of Home Affairs’ offcials to become involved in fraud and corruption. All these
challenges will place an extra burden on Ports of Entry as well as foreign missions and will require an
increased allocation of resources to these offces.
4.4.4.4 The Department still has a High Vacancy Rate in Critical Posts
The appointment and proper deployment of skilled offcials is one of the most critical priorities facing the
Department. Reports show that the Department is making progress in this regard, where for example,
1636 critical posts were flled by the end of the 2007/08 fnancial year
63
. In addition, 161 Immigration
offcers were trained and graduated from the South African National Academy of Intelligence
64
.
61
In some foreign countries the Department of Home Affairs is not represented and the functions are run by the Department of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the
Department.
62
Inspectorate functions are performed by Immigration Offcers at PoEs to, among others, identify people being in the country unlawfully.
63
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Budget Vote Speech by the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs. 10 June 2008.
64
Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Media release. 8 December 2008.
NUMBER OF FOREIGN ARRIVALS INCLUDING
NUMBER EXPECTED FOR 2008-2010
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Year
A
r
r
i
v
a
l
s
i
n
M
i
l
l
i
o
n
NUMBER OF FOREIGN ARRIVALS INCLUDING
NUMBER EXPECTED FOR 2008-2010
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Year
A
r
r
i
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However, it would be important for the Department to accelerate its recruitment and training initiatives
to ensure that by the time the 2009 and 2010 FIFA events take place, the offcials have already been
inducted into and they are settled in their jobs.
Conclusions and
Recommendations
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5.1 INTRODUCTION
The DHA will play a signifcant role towards South Africa’s hosting of the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup
and the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. The Department is responsible for issuing visas to all foreign visitors
to the country and for the management of Ports of entry where visitors enter the country. The chapter
presents the conclusions and recommendations derived from the study. Recommendations are presented
according to the themes derived from the specifc objectives of the study.
5.2 CONCLUSION
Overall, there is encouraging progress in the current and planned processes for the management of visa
applications and Ports of Entry. Among others, turnaround times for issuing visas have largely remained
within the stipulated service standard of fve (5) days and detailed plans have been put in place to make
Ports of Entry more effective and effcient. However, the Department still faces a number of challenges
and constraints, and this will need to be attended to as part of efforts to prepare for 2010 and beyond.
The following summarises the main fndings of the study:
Delays are experienced in the visa applications and port control processes
Delays in the visa applications process are experienced as a result of incomplete visa applications and not
as a result of inadequate capacity on the side of the Department. The study also found that there is a lack
of proper queue management systems at PoEs. The absence of such queue management systems often
leads to uncertainty amongst service users, regarding which queue to stand in. However, the Department
has implemented special arrangements to minimise congestion at the arrival and departure areas.
The Department has put in place plans in preparation for the 2009 and 2010 FIFA World Cup events
It was found that the Department has developed detailed integrated plans (covering all relevant programmes
such as visa applications and port control) with regard to the 2009 and 2010 FIFA events. The plans
address the following critical priorities:
Infrastructure development
The Department plans to introduce a system that will allow the sharing of airline passenger data to
facilitate the pre-screening of passengers prior to their departure or arrival. The Department is also
working closely with the Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee (BCOCC) to ensure that
the basic infrastructure at the Ports of Entry is in place and maintained.
Strengthening human resources capacity
The Department is faced with critical challenges in the area of human resource management and capacity.
These include a high vacancy rate and posts that are not properly graded, among others. In order
to address these and other challenges in preparation for 2010, the Department has developed human
resource plans.
Improving business processes
The effectiveness of the current business processes of the Department is uneven, with visa applications
being managed better while the port control processes still manifest key weaknesses.
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Promoting communication
All the efforts of the Department towards delivering improved services during the 2010 FIFA World Cup
may not amount to much unless they are accompanied by an effective awareness raising campaign which
informs the public about what is available as well as their responsibilities.
The Department has made progress in the implementation of the plans for 2010
According to progress reports to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on 22 October 2008
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, the Department
was on track in its implementation of critical measures to ensure its readiness to effectively and effciently
facilitate the movement of the estimated numbers of foreign arrivals at Ports of Entry in 2010. The study
found the following:
The Department has put in place mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of plans for 2010
The Department has, with the assistance of the TAP, put plans in place to address most of the challenges
it has identifed in its preparations for 2010. However, no system could be identifed at the offces visited
that would be effectively and effciently monitoring the plans and the impact such plans will have on service
delivery and the performance of the PoEs.
There are still challenges and constraints experienced by the Department in implementing the plans
for 2010
The Department is still experiencing challenges and constraints in implementing plans for 2010. These
challenges include the huge number of visitors expected during 2010, the expected increase in visa
applications and the expected increase in Inspectorate functions.
5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS
The following are the key recommendations of the study.
5.3.1 Filling of Posts
The vacancy rate in the Department has been identifed in the past by almost all the intervention teams as
a critical issue that the Department had to address. The human resource section of the Department is very
critical in the flling of posts, by ensuring that the critical posts are advertised, candidates are short listed
and interviews are conducted and recommended candidates are fnally appointed. It is recommended
that the Department ensures that the flling of posts is treated with urgency.
5.3.2 Leadership Drive to Ensure Responsibility for Implementing Turnaround Plans
The Department seems to have dealt with some of the key recommendations from the previous intervention
teams. Senior offcials with skills and vision have been appointed. However, this has not fltered down
to the rest of the senior management team as well as lower level offcials. It is recommended that the
Department fast-track the implementation of previous recommendations and turnaround plans. Offcials
at all levels should be involved in this drive and in decisions about their processes, especially offcials at Ports
of Entry offcials. Not only will this contribute to staff morale but also to everybody taking responsibility
for service delivery and for the Department’s performance. Clearly allocating responsibility for the
implementation of turnaround plans in managers’ PAs will ensure accountability for the implementation of
the plans, even after the contract of the current Turnaround Programme has come to an end.
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Republic of South Africa. Department of Home Affairs. Report to the 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee. 22 October 2008.
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5.3.3 Monitoring and Evaluation
A proper monitoring and evaluation system should be introduced to provide management with reliable
and up-to-date information on the performance of programmes, including the two programmes under
review in this study. The system should be linked to all reporting systems. Such a system will provide
management with early warning signals of poor performance or possible collapse in services. It will also
facilitate the allocation of responsibility for specifc programmes.
The system could also include a section on customer satisfaction where feedback from customers is
obtained on a continuous basis and in a systematic way. Such feedback is invaluable in decisions on
improved service delivery. Feedback from other stakeholders on the Department’s performance could
also be linked to this system and would be very useful in avoiding a breakdown in services.
The reporting structure proposed by the Turnaround Programme should be tested by the Department
in reporting progress on the implementation of the various sub-projects of the 2010 Programme. The
Department should, however, take full responsibility for reporting and monitoring to ensure that there is
skills transfer from the Turnaround Team to the responsible managers in the Department.
5.3.4 Process Guidelines on New Processes
Given that the department plans to introduce new processes and systems to improve the delivery of
immigration services it should ensure that the necessary procedure manuals and or guidelines are available
at the Port of Entry or foreign mission where the processes and systems are introduced. This will ensure
consistency and effciency in the way customers are handled at these offces. These manuals as well as
training modules should be amended as and when systems and processes are amended.
5.3.5 Immigration Services declared Critical Services
Immigration services have become specialised services and these offcials also undergo special training.
As indicated in par 1.2 above, the effectiveness and effciency with which these services are carried out
during the FIFA events in 2009 and 2010 will have a defnite impact on the overall success of South Africa
hosting the events. It is, therefore, imperative that these services are declared critical services and that the
necessary dispensation for Immigration Offcers is introduced to ensure that unforeseen strikes amongst
them do not debilitate the Department’s Immigration Services during the 2010 FIFA event.
5.3.6 Sharing the Responsibility for the Performance of a Port of Entry
The BCOCC should establish a subcommittee to address issues of integrating service delivery and sharing
responsibilities for the performance of the PoE. Only when all the role players at a Port of Entry take full
responsibility for the functions that they are mandated to perform will it succeed in facilitating the effective
and effcient movement of goods and people across the border. It will also ensure that the Department of
Home Affairs does not get blamed for the ineffciency and ineffectiveness of other departments involved
at the PoEs.
5.3.7 Improving Communication on the Products and Services of the Department
The Department should ensure that it beefs up its communication mechanisms so that members of the
public can be better informed about the services on offer, the standards the Department has committed
itself to observe and the requirements for accessing the services. In addition, the Department should
communicate its successes and achievements to restore the confdence of the public in its ability to render
services.
In making the above recommendations the PSC is fully aware that some of them may have resource
implications and that, therefore, certain trade-offs may have to be made in this process. However, the
PSC believes that such trade-offs would be in the interest of strengthening the capacity of what is clearly
34
the very central state institution in efforts to successfully host the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. Indeed,
the benefts of having an effective and effcient Department of Home Affairs will last longer than the 2010
event itself and will be felt in many other areas of Public Service delivery.
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