Speaking at a function in Sandton, Gilder said that the immigration branch was in need of particular attention.
“By comparison to the immigration services of other countries, ours, to put it bluntly, is a joke,” Gilder admitted.
The DG, who has occupied the position for a little over five months following a protracted process of selection, made this assessment following a tour of 120 departmental offices.
He said he had also relied on public and departmental feedback in order to identify the key needs, before conceptualising the turnaround strategy.
The strategy will roll-out from the beginning of next year.
It highlights actions for the immigration branch, as well as solutions for improving management of refugees and illegal immigrants, and seeks to upgrade service delivery across the board.
The strategy will seek to address a serious lack of resources at the immigration branches, which includes understaffing, a lack of computers and, in certain cases, telephones.
Training will also be a key component of the plan.
In addition, the number of officers to trace and arrest illegal foreigners is said to be pitiful.
“We want to totally transform the immigration service,” said Gilder, who returned yesterday from a meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, to devise ways to control illegal immigration.
“The Department is an important window for citizens and visitors because, for many people, Home Affairs is the only interaction they have with government,” said Gilder.
A workshop would be held later this month to design and plan for the total transformation of the immigration branch, which would be in line with the new Immigration Act.
Gilder acknowledged that the turnaround strategy had become urgent due to a number of difficulties within the department, which had been exacerbated by the tension between former director-general Billy Masetla and Minister of Home Affairs Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
These, Gilder admitted had ‘paralysed’ the department.
Gilder said that it would also prioritise the boosting of the staff morale, which was at the heart of much of the corruption in the department.
The plan also comprised improved human resource management, the hiring of more staff and the equipping of offices with computers and, in some cases, fax machines and telephones.
Gilder said that one of the key problems within the department was the shortage of staff, which is in dire need of attention.
The department has an establishment of 7 499 posts, of which only 5 948 are filled, leading to a situation of massive under-staffing.
Another problem is the concept of information technology (IT), whereby only a small per cent of its offices are computerised.
Almost all of Home Affairs’ business processes are still manual and paper-based, indicating a serious lack of IT resources.
Additionally, the department acknowledged that its document delivery service was inefficient and had to be improved.
Corruption is also viewed as a major problem that must be rooted out.
The department’s funding allocation for the financial year amounts to R1,9-billion; however, Gilder argued that to effectively rectify the challenges that face the Department, it would need around R3,1-billion.
He revealed that that the department would receive half a billion rands more on top of the budget next year to help towards some of its problems.
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