‘SA undermining the value of Home Affairs’
Malusi Gigaba says South Africa has failed to exploit the department’s full potential.
JOHANNESBURG - Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says South Africa has failed to exploit the department's full potential by undermining the value of its services for decades.
Gigaba has participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by the Black Business Council in Johannesburg, where issues of immigration regulation and youth employment were discussed.
#BBCRoundtable Gigaba says the mistake South Africa made for 20 years was to think very narrowly of the Home Affairs Department. DB
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) August 26, 2016
He says Home Affairs is only starting to solidify its role as a gatekeeper and a means of ensuring national security.
Gigaba says neglect of the Home Affairs Department has resulted in the adoption of a negative view.
"The officials of the department themselves have a low opinion of themselves and therefore it impacts on their level of professionalism or lack thereof."
But he says the department plays a role far more important than many realise.
"The identity document cards we issue enable South Africans to enter into economical and financial transactions of all sorts."
#BBCRoundtable Gigaba says, as a result, citizens view Home Affairs as a low skills level department with poor services. DB
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) August 26, 2016
Members of the business community were afforded the opportunity to engage with Gigaba around issues of immigration, imports and other cross border functions that affect their operations.
