Cape Town – Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has warned that the department’s outdated, manual systems make it vulnerable to fraud and corruption, calling for a complete digital transformation to address these issues.
Schreiber appeared before Parliament’s portfolio committee on Tuesday to address the controversy involving 95 Libyan nationals who entered the country for military training, as well as incidents of identity fraud involving foreign nationals.
“How can South Africa regard ourselves as a serious nation when we refuse to embrace something as simple as online applications, which will never even allow a user to click ‘submit’ if the application is not complete?,” the minister said.
— HomeAffairsSA 🇿🇦 (@HomeAffairsSA) August 20, 2024
Budget cuts have left the department operating with only 40% of the necessary staff, exacerbating the problem.
Schreiber emphasised the need for a modern digital system, similar to the SA Revenue Service, to prevent further national security threats.
His comments follow revelations that 100 handwritten visas were issued to Libyan nationals, highlighting the system’s susceptibility to corruption.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
