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The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, Mr Mosa Chabane, welcomes various operations aimed at rooting out corruption within the Department of Home Affairs, which have led to the arrest of departmental officials.
 
The arrests in Krugersdorp and at the OR Tambo International Airport, in which some of those arrested were departmental officials, should be strengthened to ensure the credibility of our population register and South Africa’s security.
 
“We welcome the drive to weed out corrupt elements within the department who have compromised and undermined South Africa’s laws. It is concerning those rotten elements within the department are single-handedly, as a result of greed, undermining our laws and inadvertently compromising the security of our country,” Mr Chabane said.
 
The committee has on numerous occasions called for the strengthening of the inspectorate division within the department to ensure that corruption is rooted out. Despite the arrests, the committee remains concerned about the existence of these syndicates that, assisted by department officials, undermine the country’s laws. “We, therefore, call for strengthened collaboration between the department, the community, and law enforcement agencies to ensure that those participating in corrupt activities are arrested. Furthermore, the committee calls on the department to strengthen their process to fight corrupt tendencies,” Mr Chabane emphasised.
 
Despite this, the committee appreciates those officials who remain loyal to the Constitution and the law, and who continue to resist the temptation to participate in unlawful activities. These officials are a true embodiment of what a capable state should look like and must be commended.  
 
Meanwhile, the Chairperson welcomes the announcement by the Minister of Home Affairs that a dedicated team will be sent to KwaZulu-Natal to assist residents who have lost identity documents in the storms in the area. The speedy dispatch of a team to the area will alleviate concern over the lack of documents, which are essential to access social assistance, including grants. “We call on the Minister to dispatch mobile trucks to the area to ensure that access to Home Affairs service is closer to the people,” Mr Chabane concluded.

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, Mosa Chabane