• Several MPs serving on the committee raised concerns about capacity to ensure that undocumented individuals are deported.
• The committee also wants home affairs officials to join operations targeting spaza shops engaged in illicit activities more frequently.
Extending the visas of foreign nationals already in South Africa shifts focus and resources away from the needs of citizens. This is according to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs after newly appointed Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber`s decision to extend the temporary concession for foreign nationals who are currently awaiting the outcome of visa, waiver and appeal applications.
According to Schreiber, the extension safeguards applicants - including those who are contributing to South Africa`s economy through their scarce skills - from suffering adverse consequences or being erroneously declared undesirable while they await the outcome of applications submitted to the department.
But the committee has raised concerns about capacity. These concerns were captured in the committee`s report on the department`s budget and plans for the 2024/25 financial year.
`The extension of the visas is for people who came legally into the country. It is either that they applied to move to other visas or were extending their stay. There was concern [whether] the BMA [Border Management Authority] or the DHA [Department of Home Affairs] had the capacity to ensure that [foreign nationals] leave or are deported from South Africa.
`The BMA stated that its work was at the border environment and once a person was in the country illegally, it was the responsibility of the immigration inspectorate. There is a need for additional staff in both cases, but this must also be supported by improved surveillance technology,` the report reads.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Schreiber was adamant that the measure would aid the economy.
`Without this concession, international tourists and workers who contribute to our economy would have been punished if their documentation expired while they awaited the outcome of home affairs processes. This would be unfair and irrational and discourage investment, tourism and skills transfer,` he said in the post.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, the extension applies to:
• Visa holders who have applied for waivers and whose applications are still pending as of 30 June;
• Visa holders who have applied for long-term visas - including study, business, relative visas and work visas - and whose applications are still pending as of 30 June; and
• Those who have appealed a negative decision on their long-term visa applications, including study, business, relative visas and work visas.
Another concern for the committee was the escape, in March, of 69 undocumented immigrants who were being detained at the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp, awaiting deportation.
`The DHA reported that the National Treasury was investigating the contract of the service provider,` the report says.
During the sixth administration, the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs raised the matter of naturalised citizens who were unable to apply for smart ID cards.
The committee also raised the issue of loss of citizenship by South Africans who have taken a second nationality.
The committee indicated the need for the department to join more joint law enforcement operations targeting spaza shops engaged in illicit activities in Johannesburg, given the potential health risks of these operations.
`The DHA reported that in the sixth administration, the then minister of home affairs convened a meeting with all stakeholders on the issue of spaza shops. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs was tasked with the development of by-laws in this respect, and the by-laws are now out for public [comment]. The passing of the DHA Bill would also allow for after-office hour shifts to join evening operations,` the committee said.