The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs pointed out that while the deportation of 95 Libyan nationals has been effected, the need to strengthen the inspectorate unit of the department is necessary and called for an enhanced monitoring tool to track foreign nationals in the country.

Earlier this week, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) concluded its preparations to deport the 95 Libyan nationals, after they were arrested in White River, Mpumalanga, last month.

“While the deportations end this unfortunate incident, it has exposed the need to strengthen the inspectorate division within the DHA and implement monitoring systems to ensure the monitoring of travellers who contravened the validity of their permits,” said committee chairperson Mosa Chabane.

He said the inspectorate unit was grossly incapacitated, which weakened its ability to implement its mandate.

The committee raised serious concern that there were administrative lapses in the issuing of study visas for the 95 Libyan nationals.

Chabane said it was concerning that the preliminary investigation had uncovered that there was a gap in the administrative process between the Department of International Relations and Cooperation stationed in Tunis and that there was no process to consult, seek advice or obtain authorisation from the DHA before issuing the visas.

He said this gap presented a security risk and brought into question the verification processes applied in issuing visas. 

“The committee was informed that among the anomalies identified by the preliminary investigation were the offline systems at the mission which resulted in handwritten documents, the use of outdated forms that do not comply with prescribed forms in the Immigration Regulations, study visas issued despite no indication in the forms that the applicant was applying for study visas, omission of critical information in the application forms, no evidence of sufficient funds for application to maintain them while in South Africa as prescribed, and non-verification of police clearance certificates before processing the application,” he said.

Chabane emphasised that these lapses were substantial and were at the heart of the verification process before granting a visa, noting that lack of this critical information had the potential to undermine the “ineffectiveness” of the country’s immigration regulations and rendered “useless” the verification process.

“The consequence is that undesirable foreign nationals are admitted to the country putting at risk the country’s security,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the committee highlighted that the investigation into the citizenship of Miss South Africa 2024 contestant Chidimma Adetshina was at an advanced stage, calling for internal and criminal processes against officials who might have participated in the alleged fraudulent scheme.

“The illegal selling of our documents and facilitation of fraudulent entry into the country’s National Population Register for personal corrupt and greedy gains is unacceptable and consequence management must be implemented if the investigation proves that a case of fraud can be proven,” Chabane said.

The committee stated that it was of the view that digitisation of processes within the home affairs department, a process that was started by the sixth administration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, will reduce cases of fraud to the country’s national population register.

The committee has resolved that the department must, at the end of October, present a progress report on its digitisation programme and progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the Multi-disciplinary Task Team report on the issuing of permits and visas.