By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has granted the Electoral Commission of South Africa time to conclude a comprehensive report on the recently concluded National and Provincial elections. The committee said it is important that it reflects on the positives and challenges encountered during the elections to ensure that future elections experience less challenges.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Mosa Chabane said: “It is important that the committee receives a considered report that covers broadly the positives and challenges experienced in the past elections.
“A comprehensive reflection will ensure that the entire process is open and transparent and will enhance accountability.”
Chabane further said the committee raised serious concern that there were administrative lapses in the issuing of study visas for the 95 Libyan nationals that were detained at a military training camp in Mpumalanga. He added that the issuance of the visas without following due process and approval without the necessary information requires urgent action to safeguard the country’s security.
“Despite these concerns, however, the committee appreciated the swift action of law enforcement agencies and the use of intelligence to identify and detain the 95 Libyan nationals that led to their deportation from South Africa. The collaboration with communities in sharing information is also a welcomed occurrence which must be encouraged going forward.
“The department’s anti-corruption unit must extensively communicate its contact platforms to ensure that people are aware and able to share information about fraud and corruption around services of the department,” said Chabane.
He said it is concerning that the preliminary investigation has uncovered that there was a gap in the administrative process between the Department of International Relations and Cooperation stationed in Tunis and that there was no process to consult, seek advice or obtain authorisation from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), before issuing the visas.
Chabane said this gap presents a security risk and puts into question the verification processes applied in issuing visas.
“The committee was informed that among the anomalies identified by the preliminary investigation included the offline systems at the mission, which resulted in handwritten documents.
“This includes the use of outdated forms that do not comply with prescribed forms in the Immigration Regulations, study visas issued despite no indication in the forms that the applicant was applying for study visas, omission of critical information in the application forms, no evidence of sufficient funds for application to maintain them, while in South Africa as prescribed, and non-verification of police clearance certificates before processing the application,” he said.
Chabane said these lapses are substantial and are at the heart of the verification process before granting a visa. He said lack of this critical information has a potential to undermine the ineffectiveness of our immigration regulations and renders useless the verification process.
The Guardian 