Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza: Home Affairs Dept Budget Vote 2024/25

Honourable House Chairperson 
The Minister of Home Affairs Dr. Leon Schreiber 
Members of the Executive 
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs 
Members of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs 
The Chairperson of the IEC 
The Director-General of Home Affairs 
The CEO of the Government Printing Works 
The Commissioner of the BMA 

Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentleman, 

The budget we are tabling here today should not be seen as just a collection or a series of numbers. We are presenting a budget that is indicative of the priorities of the 7 th Administration. 

This budget is a reflection of our commitment to deliver quality services to our Citizens. This budget enables us to effectively manage our Immigration supporting Economic Development and Growth whilst building a Safe and Secure South Africa. 

The 2024-2025 budget reflects a growth in allocation from R9, 751 billion in 23-24 to R 10, 495 billion in the 24-25 Financial Year. This allocation enables us to deepen our gains by continuing to deliver services and products vital to the socio-economic well-being of the citizens and residents. 

Understanding that out of nothing comes nothing this budget is therefore building from the foundation and strides made during the 2023-2024 financial year. The 2023-2024 budget allowed us to realise our objective to make convenient the manner in which we offer services to our clients. 

In the 23-24 Financial Year our mobile offices visited 1 734 service points and 2 196 schools. In the same financial year mobile units collected a total of 241 309 smart ID card applications as compared to 204 317 during the 2022/23 financial year. The purchase of the additional 100 mobile units and the resources we are committing through this budget means that more citizens will have access to this convenient service. 

Embracing and investing in technology is what gave birth to the Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS) which offers services to our citizens at their convenience. BABS which can be accessed through the Home Affairs website,  has been a game-changer in queue management. 

BABS has been rolled out to 204 modernised offices. It is has been with great pride to see over 1,6 million BABS appointments being honoured by clients in 2023/24 financial year. 

We previously reported that Home Affairs has presence at the Menlyn Shopping Centre in Pretoria, since 2023. We have since gone further to open two more offices– one at Cresta Shopping Centre in Randburg and another at The Pavilion in Durban. This budget enables us to now focus  on opening new offices at Tyger Valley in Cape Town and Southgate near Soweto, within the current financial year. 

Last year we indicated that our service improvement plan encompasses modernisation of old offices currently on the manual system. We committed that six more offices will be modernised in 2023/24, to bring the number of modernized offices to 205. House Chairperson I am happy to say we delivered on this commitment. 

Live capture was rolled out to Mapulaneng and Nkomazi in Mpumalanga, Taung and Molopo in North West, Themba and Carletonville in Gauteng. This budget will enable us to modernise 14 more offices. 

We will also rollout the ground breaking 75 self-service Kiosks which have already been procured and are currently being configured with our Live Capture system. 

The Kiosks will increase our footprint and also alleviate queues. 

As part of our commitment to footprint expansion by way of new, purpose-built offices, a new state-of-the-art office was officially opened in Mokopane, in May 2024. In the coming months, we should be ready to handover another completed office to the people of Matatiele and more are still to come . 

In the previous financial year we extended birth registration services to parents in 169 health facilities which are equipped with the online birth registration system . 

In the 23/24 financial year we registered a total of 900 258 births, of which 744 610 were registered within 30 days while 108 336 births were registered between 31 days to a year. This displayed our efficiency in birth registrations which is the first point of entry to the National Population Register. 

Early Birth Registration is a societal responsibility. 

And so, we encourage parents and guardians to register children within 30 days. This budget, allows us to provide our, children, youth, citizens and residents their first issue of an ID document, birth certificate, marriage certificate, passports and ultimately death certificates completing their cycle of life. 

In the  23/24 financial year, the Department issued 2 822 236 smart ID cards to citizens aged 16 years and above, against a target of 2,5 million. This is an increase of 7% compared with the 2 613 248 smart ID cards issued in 2022/23. This year we plan to issue a further 2.5 Million Smart ID Cards. 

In the same period, 73 364 smart ID card applications were received through the thirty-three bank branches participating on the eHomeAffairs portal. We are also in the process of expanding issuance of smart ID cards to naturalized citizen, with a pilot that commenced in the last quarter of 2023/24. 

House Chairperson holding true to the words of Jack Lew that “ budgets are an expression of our values and aspirations” , we had to display our values by making resources available for those who were ravaged by disasters which threw their lives to disarray. In the 23-24 Financial Year, the Department worked with other stakeholders to assist victims of fire and recent weather disasters in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. 

In the Western Cape we assisted 3 220 citizens with the re-issuance of their documents in Du Noon, Langa, Kayamnandi, Somerset West and other areas. 

In KwaZulu-Natal we reached out to 3 624 victims in Ethekwini, iLembe and uGu districts since 2022 and last month when another weather disaster hit the area of oThongathi we responded to the call providing support to 160 victims and last week on the 12 th of July 2024 we handed over 76 smart cards to the victims. 

This displays how budgets can be utilized to practically display our values of ubuntu and care. We will continue to offer a helping hand when ever disaster strikes by making enabling documents available to the victims of disaster because indeed at Home Affairs We Care. 

The department of Home Affairs plays a very critical role in deepening, protection and the advancement of our democracy. This we do by providing an important support role to the Independent Electoral Commission. Without a credible and reliable population register the IEC would not be able to populate a credible voters roll. Our supporting role to the IEC includes amongst others Providing Identity to eligible voters and verification during registration and voting. 

To ensure that South Africans participate in democracy 

The Department of Home Affairs embarked on a rigorous public awareness campaign calling on all citizens to collect their identity documents to vote. We also opened our offices for 7 Conservative weekends building up to the 2024 National and Provincial Elections. 

House Chairperson budgets alone do not get the job done but it is a combination of financial resources and a well skilled, dedicated and professional Human Capital Force that drives progress. Therefore, our financial resources must be invested in our Human Capital Base for us to realize progress. 

The Department implements the professionalization training programme which covers amongst others, Client Relations and Ethics in Public Service. This budget has enabled us to set aside R4 Million towards training of employees. The Department also awards bursaries to its employees who wish to further their studies in the relevant skills required for the attainment of the strategic objectives of the Department. 

House Chairperson allow me to send my deep words of gratitude and appreciation to all the Department of Home Affairs employees who are dedicated, loyal and willing to go an extra mile for our citizens, their work and dedication do not go unnoticed. 

In Conclusion 

I would like to congratulate the Chairperson and Members of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on their appointment and wish them all the best in their oversight responsibilities. 

I would also like to salute the exceptional management team of Home Affairs as led by the  Director-General Tommy Makhode for their stellar work. Indeed working together we can do more. 

I would like to Thank my colleague Dr Leon Schreiber for his leadership and displayed commitment, together I am sure we will achieve great things under the Government of National Unity. 

We commit to never grow desponded because we understand that the task at hand rests on our shoulders and it is our duty to execute it with perfection. It is Nelson Mandela who teaches us that “ after climbing a great hill one only finds there are more hills to climb”. 

There is a lot more to be done House Chair and we will execute with precision. 

I Thank You 

For media enquiries, please contact: 
Siya Qoza 
Cell: 082 898 1657