Durban: The Department of Home Affairs’ administration has accelerated its use of consequence management against dishonest employees, and the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has applauded this move. The committee sees that as a crucial and successful step in eradicating fraud and corruption within the department.
“It is regrettable that the bulk of proceedings against departmental employees involves the issuance of fake passports. However, we are satisfied that the agency is taking all necessary steps to hold individuals accountable for their actions. The committee has offered the department its full assistance as it works to purge its ranks of some bad apples, according to the committee’s chair, Mr Mosa Chabane.
The committee has also praised the reprogramming of the IT system for including security elements that make it evident who officials have logged in and which parts of the system they are currently working on. To ensure the full provision of services, the committee has also asked for the swift resolution of all open cases.
The committee took note of the department’s internal disciplinary actions about the Prophet Shepherd Bhushiri case. It has asked the department to proceed swiftly to finalise all of its processes to facilitate the adoption of consequence management, which will function as a disincentive against officials who could be tempted to misbehave.
The committee has decided to work with other pertinent parliamentary committees and all relevant government ministries to investigate the issue because it continues to be concerned that the whole enquiry into how Prophet Bushiri escaped has not been completed.
The committee is keeping track of how the department handles the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit process and will keep an eye on how the legal proceedings involving these permits turn out. The committee also praised the renewal of the Zimbabwean exemptions granted to Zimbabwean nationals for a further six months, allowing the holders of those exemptions to apply for any eligible visas under the Immigration Act. After the court proceedings are resolved, it will consult with the department about the next steps.
