Johannesburg - The tide of illegal immigrants flowing into the country has stretched Home Affairs’ inspectorate to the limit, leading the department to plead for more resources.
Home Affairs director-general Mkuseli Apleni told MPs this week that his 700-member immigration unit was unable to cope with the “thousands” of illegal immigrants a day who entered the country.
In 2005, the department’s revamped National Immigration Branch was launched to offer a specialist, professional and hi-tech service to incoming foreign visitors and clamp down on illegal immigrants.
The inspectorate is a division of the immigration service.
Apleni told the joint meeting of the committees on police, home affairs, small business development and intelligence this week that his unit’s meagre budget of R181 million was far from adequate for the work involved in tracking down illegal immigrants across the country.
The inspectorate unit was key to stemming the influx, he said.
While some experts have put the number of illegal immigrants in the country at “millions”, Home Affairs says it has recorded more than 330 000 in the past five years.
This figure refers only to foreigners who, since 2010, have overstayed their welcome in South Africa after the expiry of their visas.
But MPs have questioned this figure, saying the true number is “much higher”.
Commenting on the sidelines of the meeting, Apleni repeated that that the R181m budget was simply too small to cope with the influx.
He said there were 700 inspectors – far fewer than the number needed.
The department was planning to appoint a further 170 inspectors.
Yet even this extra number was minuscule in relation to the need, Apleni said.
The inspectorate would need far more people if it was to cope with the growing challenge of illegal migrants.
In his presentation to MPs earlier, Apleni said the inspectorate needed far more funds.
“We have been asking all along for more resources,” he said.
“The Department of Home Affairs has 10 000 staff members, and just 700 of those are in the inspectorate.
“We have 52 million people in South Africa whom we look after from cradle to the grave.
“If you look at the police, they have 200 000 members.”
Apleni said that the SAPS and Home Affairs had huge responsibilities, but unequal resources.
There were hopelessly far too few immigration inspectors to deal with the spiralling number of illegal immigrants.
“That is what we have been crying for in the budget.”
Apleni warned that Home Affairs would need “a lot more money” if it was to meet all the challenges.
He declined to give a figure for the amount of money needed to beef up the immigration inspectorate sufficiently to slow or contain the flow.
The department was briefing MPs in the wake of the xenophobic violence in the country. It also spoke about Home Affairs’ response.
MPs expressed serious concern about the country’s porous borders.
Apleni said that the planned border management agency, which would ensure effective control, would involve all role-player departments and agencies.
It was hoped it would begin work in the next two years.
Political Bureau