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Date: 13/03/05
  Source: Department of Home Affairs
Title: Gigaba: Re-launch of permanent citizen registration campaign

Deputy Minister, Mr MKN Gigaba’s briefing notes: Remarks at the re-launch of the permanent citizen registration campaign, Bamshela MPCC, Midlands

13 March 2005


Acknowledgements
Programme Director
Mayor Vilakazi
Mayor Gumede
Inkosi UGwensa
Inkosi Ungcobo
Induna Umfeka
MPL Mr Mzobe
DDGs
Provincial Manager
Officials from all our offices
Other Government Departments
The media
Ladies and Gentlemen

Key Messages
To launch the ID Campaign in preparation for the coming Local Government Elections To announce the campaign to amend incorrect information in the national Population Register to restore the dignity of South Africans To call upon communities to report corrupt activities through the Hotline Encourage communities to register and participate in the Local Elections To launch Booklet which explains the different services offered by Home Affairs, requirements and the costs involved Theme: A People's Contract * Together, Building a caring, compassionate and responsive Home Affairs.

* Home Affairs in partnership with you. Ensuring the credibility of the National population Register. Fighting Corruption.

Sub themes
* "ID, A right of all Citizens"
* A common Nationality, A common Patriotism
* 50 Years of the Freedom Charter
Home Affairs Facilitates an enabling environment for Governments programme to push back the frontiers of poverty
True to the vision and spirit of the Freedom Charter, at the beginning of this year, President Mbeki reminded us that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.

The Preamble of the Freedom Charter declared that our country will never be prosperous or free until all our people live in brotherhood, enjoying equal rights and opportunities.

To give a living expression to these objectives, we are keenly are that the Department of Home Affairs should accordingly be caring, compassionate and be responsive to the needs of all South Africans.

This, we do, in many ways than one.

As you are aware, the Department of Home Affairs is very central to the improving the lives of all South Africans. All of us, at any stage of our lives and development, are obliged to interact with Home Affairs.

The services that we provide are many and they vary depending on your needs.

We have contributed towards building a common nationhood and identity.

We provide you with enabling documents such as birth certificates, marriages certificates, Identity documents, passports, marriage certificates, register and issue death certificates for the deceased.

All of these documents entitle people to access essential services such as housing, education, health care, social grants and banking and to also exercise their most fundamental right of electing a government of their choice.

Currently, we have more than 9 million people in the country who receive basic social protection from the state through the social grant system. Without access to enabling documentation from Home Affairs, this overwhelming success would not have been possible. Accordingly, we will continue to work in partnership with the Department of Social Development to provide enabling documentation in order to register the target of an additional 1.2 million vulnerable children between the ages of 11 and 14 years from next month.

As we continue to implement our programmes to improve your lives, we do acknowledge that there are immense challenges that we have to contend with.

We have observed a growing trend of discrepancies and inaccuracies in regard to misspelled names and surnames, wrong pictures, people sharing ID numbers, incorrect birth dates and wrong gender which seem to suggest that the Department could be erring in recording details of citizens in the population register.

We may have read and heard about dead men/women walking which occurred as result of fraudulent deaths. We have also heard about people with different names and surname sharing one ID number. Some are recorded as males whereas they are females and vice-versa. In some instances, ID numbers are erroneously recorded or wrong photos are attached to IDs. We are also sensitive to the fact that some of the people have, as a result of these errors, lost their access to social grants, have had their bank accounts closed, lost potential employment opportunities, and others have been subjected to the shame of consulting doctors to confirm their gender status before effecting corrections in the National Population Register. Some of the people could not access their pension money or provident fund money because they have been declared dead.

In November last year, I delivered an ID to a 73 year old mama whose ID was confiscated during the apartheid government because she has a child with a darker skin. We have witnessed instances where pension grants were stopped due to the fact that as a result of our errors, some of our mother, fathers, grand mothers and fathers have been made many years younger than their children and grand children.

In some instances, we have observed that communities and families have failed our senior citizens. It is very painful when a 101 or 110 year old senior citizen is deprived of an opportunity to access old age pension because she does not have an Identity Document. Some of these cases can be attributed to the ignorance and carelessness of the families or communities within which these senior citizens reside.

As a result of these mistakes and carelessness that we spoke of earlier, our people are subjected to live in conditions of poverty, squalor and underdevelopment.

Without any doubt, this is not the type of South African society that we seek to build and nurture.

We need to build a society premised on solidarity and care for the poor and destitute. As the Freedom Charter declared, our country will never be prosperous or free until all our people live in brotherhood, enjoying equal rights and opportunities. We all have a collective responsibility to build country that truly belongs to all who live in it, black and white.

Accordingly, we would like to thank all the media houses and journalists for their support in highlighting all these issues. We also urge you to continue to raise such concerns as it is only through public awareness and engagement that all service delivery bottlenecks can be unblocked.

To enable people to correct their wrong or erroneous details on their documents, I am therefore pleased to announce the 'Lokisa Ditokomane/ Lungisa Izincwadi Campaign to enable you to rectify the changes in your documents which have been wrongly recorded. As a caring, compassionate and responsive Department, we appeal to you to come forward and check your details with a view to correcting them, if erroneous. Through this campaign, we would like to call upon all South Africans to support the Department in its quest for world-class service delivery.

But we are also aware that there are people who fake their deaths in order to avoid certain duties and responsibilities. We are also aware that false registration of deaths is also instigated by greedy people who collude with hospitals and medical practitioners to claim benefits for insurance and other financial benefits. This is pure corruption and it must be reported to the police. If you know of anybody who indulges in such a corrupt practice, feel free to report it to the nearest Police or the National Anti-Corruption Hotline Number at 0800 701 701.

It has come to our attention that there are many people older than 100 years among our communities who are not registered in the National Population Register. We would like to appeal to civil society, the community at large, the media and local government to help in bringing them to our attention so that we can help them to apply for IDs. This is not only important for their old age pension grant, but also for their inclusion in the population register so it can be reflective of the citizenry.

It is very worrying that some among us do not value our Identity Documents. It is important to apply and look after your Identity Document. It is a responsible thing to do! An ID is a very important document and it is only wise and responsible that one applies for it and as soon as they receive it, they safeguard it to avoid wrongful use of a lost ID. It is always going to be needed to access different types of services. Registering yourself as a South African Citizen gives you a sense of belonging. If you are 16 years and older, and do not have an ID, approach your nearest Home Affairs Office to apply.

As part of our interventions towards improving the standards and quality of service, our offices will as of 1 April 2005 introduce flexi hours. This will enable us to close our offices after 15h30 to afford people an opportunity and time to access our services. Furthermore, as from 1 April, we are going to be opening all our offices on Saturdays from 8h00 to 13:00 in all the Provinces. This is to accommodate those who cannot visit our offices during the normal office hours by providing them with extra opportunities to access our services. This exercise is also aimed at mobilising people to apply and collect their IDs so they can vote in the forth coming local government elections.

As we prepare for the Local Government Elections, the Department of Home Affairs will provide free photographs with effect from 01 October 2005. In addition, the re-issues of the identity documents will be also be provided free of charge.

For some time, it was not clear to most people as to what is expected from one to access Home Affairs services. I am therefore pleased that today we are launching the “Home Affairs At Your Service” booklet which will address such issues in a simple and understandable manner. This booklet, “Home Affairs At Your Service”, seeks to explain in a simple and understandable manner, the importance of applying for enabling documents from Home Affairs, the requirements for applying for each service, associated costs, how long it takes and most of the relevant information related to Home Affairs services.

All of these efforts points towards a particular reality. Home Affairs has changed. We have a new vision. We are building and improving our capacity to deliver. We are prepared to serve YOU. We believe that YOU-the citizen are entitled to a quality service. We have an obligation to serve you as a Citizen. We are proud and committed to serve you as a citizen. We are not doing you a favour.

As such, Home Affairs is always at your service. And together, we can build a country that belongs to all who live in it. With your support and in partnership with you, Home Affairs will remain caring, compassionate and responsive to your needs.

I thank you!
Enquiries: Nkosana Sibuyi
Chief Director: Communication Services
Tel: (012) 810 7354
Fax: (012) 810 7564
E-mail: Nkosana.Sibuyi@dha.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Home Affairs
13 March 2005

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