Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber has warned crooked officials that the department will leave no stone unturned to rid its ranks of corruption.
Schreiber said officials involved in corrupt activities will face the full might of the law.
“Our message also makes it clear that we apply the rule of law without fear or favour,” Schreiber said.
Speaking at the launch of the Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum (BMIACF) in Pretoria on Tuesday, Schreiber said cooperation amongst the relevant authorities is making an impact on efforts to restore the image of the Department of Home Affairs and the Border Management Authority (BMA).
“We are also committed to the kind of systems reform that will close the space for discretion, which enables fraud and corruption in the first place,” Schreiber said.
One of the fundamental pillars of digital transformation, the Minister said, is the use of technology to help prevent and detect corruption, and uproot corrupt networks altogether.
“But the reality is that, for as long as we have paper-based visa documents, for as long as we use manual, paper-based processes, and for as long as decisions are wide-open to human discretion and interference, the space for corruption will continue to exist.
“Paper visas are being replaced by an Electronic Travel Authorisation featuring Artificial Intelligence and machine learning-based adjudication. Paper documents are being replaced by secure digital documents, including the digital ID system announced by the President during the State of the Nation Address.
“The green ID book will be phased out and replaced by the far more secure smart ID and digital ID, and we are automating entry-and-exit at all South African ports-of-entry,” the Minister said.
Schreiber is confident that the systems reforms will deliver a "systems revolution" in the border management and immigration environment.
“No more papers that can go missing or be manipulated. No more photo-swopping on green ID books. No more bribing an immigration officer to manipulate an outcome, or to gain entry into the country illegally because you cannot bribe a computer and an electronic gate,” Schreiber said.
Schreiber said the Department of Home Affairs is concluding the appointment of a permanent Deputy Director-General for Human Resources.
“It is my expectation that this person will further intensify our quest to rid Home Affairs of the bad apples,” he said.
Speaking at the launch of the BMIACF, the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Shamila Batohi, said officials must urgently bring an end to the phenomenon of South Africa being used as a transit route for criminal activities.
“We need law enforcement agencies that serve the public and put an end to these criminal activities.”
Batohi said a lot has been done over the period of five years and that more is still to be done to deal with crime and corruption.
Advocate Andy Mothibi, the Head of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), said the launch of Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum is a strategic intervention in the fight against crime and corruption.
“The launch of Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum is a strategic intervention to foster collaboration between various stakeholders, who bring with them their respective mandates and expertise, which will speed up investigations of corruption allegations."
Mothibi expressed the SUI's support for the BMIACF.
The BMIACF focuses on immigration and border management, which is vulnerable to fraud and corruption.
The BMIACF has a steering committee coordinating all the work and managing stakeholders' progress. It is supported by subcommittees that focus on specialist areas such as prevention, detection, investigation and implementation of consequence management. – SAnews.gov.za
