Transcript copy of Minister Naledi Pandor's comments during the Home Affairs weekly media briefing 26 September 2013
May I take this opportunity to thank members of the media for making time to attend our weekly media briefing. As we stated before these briefings provide both the Ministry of Home Affairs and the media with a platform to address issues that are of mutual concern.
Today’s briefing will focus on four main issues: the UN High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in New York, the Annual UN High Commission for Refugees, High Level meeting in Geneva, the invalidation of duplicate IDs, and the permanent residence permit backlog.
UN HIGH LEVEL DIALOGUE ON INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT
I will be leading the South African delegation to the UN High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, scheduled for 3-4 October 2013 in New York. The theme of this year’s Dialogue is migration and development. There are four plenary sessions based on interactive round-table discussions dealing with the effects of international migration and sustainable development, measures to protect migrant human rights with particular reference to human trafficking, strengthening partnerships and international cooperation on migration, regional labour mobility and development.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE UN HIGH COMMISSION FOR REFUGEES
Deputy Minister Fatima Chohan will lead a delegation to Geneva in Switzerland to attend the 64th Session of the Executive Committee meeting of the UNHCR scheduled for 30 September-04 October 2013.
INVALIDATION OF DUPLICATE IDs
We have decided to phase out duplicate and multiple IDs by the end of this year. We published the names of those affected in all major national and regional print media, calling upon them to approach Home Affairs offices across the country for assistance. We also worked with Trans-Union to trace those affected. Despite our efforts, few of those affected responded. We encourage those with duplicate (two people share an ID) or multiple (one person has more than one) IDs to use the sms number 32551 or ring the call centre-number 0800-601190 to check their status.
We will invalidate duplicate IDs by the 30 October 2013 and multiple IDs by 31 December 2013. In both cases we will again advertise the names of those affected in the main national newspapers and regional papers between October and December 2013. I understand that Lawyers for Human Rights has brought a court application to declare it “unlawful and unconstitutional to block any citizen’s identity numbers without reason and giving them a chance to respond”. I will oppose the application. I have indicated the efforts we have made to contact those affected before we invalidate identity numbers.
EFFORTS UNDERTAKEN TO DEAL WITH PERMANENT RESIDENCE PERMITS BACKLOG
Home Affairs has undertaken to adjudicate permanent residence permits within eight months. I have appointed 20 full time staff to focus solely on adjudicating permanent residence. This team is currently undergoing training and is expected to assume their duties from the 1 November 2013.
I have also established a permanent residence backlog project to clear 23 945 applications for permanent residence over three months. This backlog dates back to 2009. At the moment, the focus is on 2009/2010 applications, followed by 2011 applications and concluding with 2012/2013 applications.
In addition to this yearly prioritization we are also focusing on permanent residence categories that are of national economic importance like work, quota skills, extra-ordinary skills and business permits. We will still be attending to urgent cases based on their specific merits. In this connection, the departmental website will be updated with contact details of the project manager and how clients can get in touch with the project office.
Questions and Answers
Question: Has the Department investigated how Samantha Lewthwaite obtained her ID and have you been working with international colleagues to investigate the matter?
Answer (Minister Naledi Pandor): Yes, there has been an investigation. The matter of the holder of this South African passport in the name of a South African, Natalie Webb was investigated and reported upon in 2011. This is an old matter which has now been revived in very interesting ways in the media with a great deal of speculation. The passport was cancelled at that time because it was identified as fraudulently acquired. The passport itself was genuine but they used the identity of a South African, Faye Webb, in order to acquire a South African passport.
Question: Was this person residing in South Africa and are you aware if the passport was lost?
Answer (Minister Pandor): From what I have seen in the news, yes they were residing in the country at some point. I am not aware if the passport is lost or not, it is no longer a legal travel document and has been cancelled on our system. If it comes up either in South Africa or anywhere in the world, due to interactions we have had with Interpol, the Kenyan authorities and the UK authorities; it would not be regarded as a legal travel document.
Question: Why is it so easy for alleged terrorists to get access to South African passports, especially with the new passports with recently introduced security measures?
Answer (Minister Pandor): I do not think it is easy to get a South African passport. It might have been at the time but I think we have changed both the process of application as well as the character of the passport. As far as I am aware, up to today, all South Africans are able to travel without hazard and are getting through ports of entry as they travel. I have not received any complaints up to this very moment.
Question: What impact has this had on the integrity of the South African passport?
Answer (Minister Pandor): There has not been an impact on the South African passport’s integrity because this matter was appropriately handled by South African government officials in 2011. We collaborated fully with the Kenyan and the United Kingdom authorities at that time and they were satisfied with the co-operation they received. Since that time, there has not been any formal request to South Africa to give attention to this person or that particular passport.
Question: Minister, are you in talks with the Kenyan government with regards to this matter?
Answer (Minister Pandor): No, there has been no communication to us that there is any passport of the nature you ask or the individual you referred to, that has been directed to my attention or that of any of the security departments in the country. Of course, we co-operate with the Government of Kenya and we have expressed our condolences at the terrible events that have taken place, on the loss of lives including that of our own citizen. Our Government remains steadfast that we must combat terrorism wherever it occurs. We have had no communication from the Kenyan Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs or Police about a South African passport that has been used as part of the attacks that took place.
Question: Who will you hold accountable for the issuance of the ID number?
Answer (Minister Pandor): I am not sure accountable for what. With respect to the acquisition of the passport in the old matter that was dealt with in 2011, we probably need to follow up exactly what occurred given the fact that this name keeps coming up from time to time and the curiosity of the matter. As to recent events in Kenya, there is no association. We have checked with our High Commissioner in Kenya if there has been any approach from the Kenyan Government and the answer is no. I do not know where the story has suddenly taken life that South Africa is associated with what occurred in Kenya through our passport or a particular individual mentioned. Until I have evidence, I strenuously deny any association with South Africa of what happened in Kenya.
Question: Director-General Mkuseli Apleni launched an investigation into the alleged irregularities concerning ANN7 staff, has this investigation been concluded? And, if so, what are the findings?
Answer (Minister Pandor): The investigation has been completed and I am now looking at the report and if I decide to take any particular action you will be the first to know.
Question: Do we know if this passport has been presented at any port of entry?
Answer (Minister Pandor): The last recorded use we have on our Movement Control System of that fraudulently acquired passport was February 2011. Since then, because the name has been stoplisted as a terrorist suspect on our Movement Control System and on Interpol it has not been used.
Question: Is there any truth to reports that Samantha Lewthwaite has two other passports?
Answer (Minister Pandor): I do not know if this person has two other passports.
Question: Which office issued this passport?
Answer (Minister Pandor): I believe it was issued in Durban and, of course, all passports come to Durban from Pretoria because we have a single producer through the Government Printing Works. I do think we need to track it down.
Question: Are South Africans also in danger of what happened in Kenya?
Answer (Minister Pandor): I hope that we learn from what happened in Kenya and other terror incidents that occurred in other parts of the world. I hope our security forces become alert and I hope, with respect to the use of technology and CCTV, the fact that people can carry, into the mall, heavy armour is something that is a lesson that they should draw on. We have had attacks before and I think our security forces fought off the threat very well with good intelligence work.
Question: Could South Africa be inadvertently providing cover for terror groups?
Answer (Minister Pandor): We are not. No Government intentionally provides cover for terror groups…I hope not. It certainly is not the practice of the Government of South Africa.
Question: How many South Africans have been arrested with false passports internationally in the last year?
Answer (Minister Pandor): There has not been any arrests with the new passports, none whatsoever.
Question: Was Faye Webb aware that someone else was using her identity?
Answer (Minister Pandor): I think from experience we need to look much more into Miss Webb much more than we have done. I do not think we have had sufficient follow through on how the person who obtained the fraudulent passport came to have the details that was submitted as part of the Late Registration of Birth.
Question: The internet is abundant with names, surnames, ID numbers and dates of birth, does this not increase the risk of forged documents resulting in duplicates?
Answer (Minister Pandor): I think that is a very important point. There is a lot of access to information and there is a great deal of discussion about what could be done to protect people more. Certainly, the issue of protection of privacy and information that should be publicly available is one that South Africa has to have a discussion about.
Question: We understand that Samantha Lewthwaite’s children also have South African passports. Have these been flagged as hits on your system?
Answer (Immigration Services Deputy Director-General, Jackie Mckay): All related passports or identities related to that particular person will be put on the stop list to make sure that those documents are not used to travel in and out of South Africa again. So, the children passports will be related because they were acquired under the assumed identity of Faye Webb.
Minister Pandor: The best answer you have is that there has been no contact from the Kenyan Government indicating that a South African passport was used. In fact, I am not aware that investigations are a point where the militants have been identified. We have had no official approach.
Issued by Department of Home Affairs, 909 Arcadia Street, Pretoria, 0001, 26 September 2013