The Department of Home Affairs is prioritising anti-corruption efforts, with minister Dr Leon Schreiber saying digitisation and artificial intelligence (AI) are key to cleaning up the entity and improving efficiency to collect more revenue.
Schreiber says the department has dismissed 30 officials since he assumed office in the middle of last year, and pursued a number of prosecutions.
“We're moving on all fronts to take a department that has long been maligned as almost the symbol of government inefficiency, and demonstrate that things can get better when we really focus on reform and embracing digital transformation.”
A paper-based system previously enabled people to “interfere” with the issuing of documents, while digital processes help eliminate the opportunity for crooked staff to take advantage of those loopholes, says Schreiber.
Speaking on a recent RSG Think Big podcast, Schreiber said digitisation projects – including improved visa systems, better ID application processes, and an increase in the cost of digital verifications against the National Population Register – are also designed to “make sure we do everything we can before we have to go to [National] Treasury for additional funding”.
In May, finance minister Enoch Godongwana said South Africa was spending more on debt than on “frontline services such as health, the police and basic education”.
Presenting the third iteration of the National Budget, which was passed after ‘horse trading’ between political parties in the Government of National Unity, Godongwana noted the economy faced constraints. Economists expect gross domestic product growth of less than 1% this year.
Making progress
According to Schreiber, since he became minister, the department has achieved several milestones. These include setting a new record for smart ID issuances at about 3.5 million, exceeding the target by nearly a million.
Schreiber, who was recently involved in a dispute with TymeBank over increasing the cost of a digital verification check by 6 500%, also referred to the newly announced partnership with additional banks to issue identification documents. This will enable more citizens to apply for smart IDs and passports via banking applications.
“And we really are incredibly excited about the convenience, security and efficiency that reform is going to bring,” he said. “Every day we're moving forward.”
More travellers
On tourism, the department has “piloted a whole new approach where we are digitalising the visa process from start to finish,” Schreiber pointed out. Referring to the digital visa scheme, he noted that enabling tour operators to streamline entry for travellers to South Africa has “shot the lights out” in growing tourism numbers.
Although neither China nor India are currently among South Africa’s top 10 overseas tourism markets, attracting more visitors from China is a national priority. Schreiber said in less than six months, 27 000 more visitors had entered the country.
“And that makes us very excited for the really big reform, which is the Electronic Travel Authorisation, or the ETA, [project] that we are set to roll out within the next few weeks.”
The ETA will be phased in and over time will automate South Africa's visa processes. “We want to really become a world leader in that space, to clamp down on foreign corruption, but also to really improve the efficiency and unlock that tourism market for South Africa.”
This system will replace the current e-Visa system for short-term tourist stays of up to 90 days and will use AI for risk management.
Investec economist Lara Hodes said ETA “will boost tourism and investment, making South Africa more competitive, alleviating burdensome red tape when applying for a visa”.
Schreiber commented that South Africa previously underperformed in tourism markets such as China and India because of inefficient processes, which are now being tackled. “It was just a real handbrake on South Africa's tourism sector.”
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