Minister Leon Schreiber: Home Affairs Dept Budget Vote 2025/26, NCOP

Honourable House Chairperson
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Honourable Njabulo Nzuza
Members of the Executive
Chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Justice, Honourable Jane Mananiso
Honourable Members of the Select Committee on Security and Justice
Director-General of Home Affairs, Mr Tommy Makhode
Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission, Mr Mosotho Moepya
CEO of Government Printing Works, Ms Alinah Fosi
Commissioner of the Border Management Authority, Dr Mike Masiapato
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Today marks exactly one year, to the day, since the Government of National Unity took office at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

It is therefore apt to start by reflecting on just how far we have already come in the past twelve months.

It has been a year of remarkable progress for the Home Affairs ecosystem.

What makes it even more striking, is that we have managed to achieve this progress in the very department that has often been derided as the epitome of government failure.

When I assumed this office a year ago, most people responded by calling it a “poisoned chalice.”

When we started mapping our five-year vision to deliver Home Affairs @ home through digital transformation, some called it “pie in the sky.”

Today I am here to confidently report to the House that the progress we have made over the last twelve months, by working as one team with one dream, has exceeded the expectations of cynics and optimists alike.

Here are just a few highlights from the past year:

• We cleared a backlog of over 306 000 visa applications dating back more than a decade.
• We produced and delivered just under 3.6 million Smart IDs, surpassing the previous annual record by nearly half a million.
• We deployed advanced drone and body camera technology at the border for the first time, leading to an increase of up to 215% in the detection and prevention of attempted illegal border crossings.
• We launched Operation New Broom as part of intensified operations to restore the rule of law, leading to over 46 000 deportations – the highest figure in more than five years and more than countries like France and Germany combined.
• We launched the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme to boost tourism from the major source markets of China and India, where South Africa has underperformed for years.
• We recognised Muslim marriages on Home Affairs marriage certificates for the first time.
• We enabled over 1.4 million naturalised citizens and permanent residents to obtain secure Smart IDs for the first time.
• We activated the Immigration Advisory Board for the first time in a decade by appointing a diverse group of seasoned experts to help shape better policies.
• We dismissed 37 crooked officials and launched the dedicated Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum that brings together law enforcement, the Special Investigating Unit, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations and the National Prosecuting Authority to ensure corrupt officials and fraudsters are put behind bars.
• Our anti-corruption work has led to the conviction of eight offenders with sentences ranging from four to 18 years in prison.
• We built a working prototype of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system that will digitalise the visa processes from beginning to end, eliminating corruption and inefficiency.

Honourable Members,

If this is what Home Affairs could do in just one year, imagine what we can do in five.

Already, the reforms underway at the Department of Home Affairs, the Border Management Authority and Government Printing Works, is rendering these organisations unrecognisably better.

And, the reforms we will deliver in the next twelve months, will begin to redefine the quality of services that South Africans expect from their government.

All of these reforms are guided by our apex priority of digital transformation and our vision to deliver Home Affairs @ home.

The endpoint of these reforms is to enable both South Africans and legitimate visitors to apply and obtain enabling documents online, including in digital format, from the comfort of their own homes.

Immigration

Let’s start with immigration.

By the end of September, we will begin the rollout of the digital ETA system for tourist visas, starting with travellers arriving by air at OR Tambo and Cape Town International airports.

Over time, the ETA will be expanded to more visa categories and rolled out at more ports of entry.

This scale-up will continue until no person can enter South Africa without obtaining a digital visa through the ETA.

This system eliminates the space for interference, corruption or delays by using machine learning to automate the application, adjudication and communication of all visa processes.

To make the ETA work optimally, we must also link it to all ports of entry so that no person can enter our country unless their biometrics are recorded and match those on their applications.

All of this will be supported by the Supplementary White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection to create a fit-for-purpose policy framework to embed digital transformation and reform.

We know we can do this, precisely because of how much we have already achieved in this space.

Sometimes, when numbers speak for themselves, it’s best not to interrupt.

• 17 000 is the number of Chinese and Indian tourists who have obtained visas since February 2025 through the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS).
• 1 230 is the number of estimated jobs created by TTOS tourists.
• 65 is the number of tour operators that joined TTOS during the first phase.
• 246 is the number of software engineers accepted into the country via the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES).
• 147 is the number of nuclear engineers brought in by Eskom to restore the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station.
• 71 is the number of companies on the TES.

It is also my pleasure to announce today that we have completed the second intake for the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme, with another 45 companies selected.

And, after demonstrating the ETA to President Ramaphosa, I can confirm that we are on track to launch this world-class innovation by the end of September to coincide with the G20 Leaders Meeting.

The ETA will not only revolutionise the security and efficiency of our visa system. It will also signal our country’s ascendence to a new level as a forward-looking nation embracing digital transformation.

Civics Services

The same digital transformation strategy will drive access and inclusion of civics services, while improving quality.

We are finalising arrangements to expand the pilot project providing Smart ID and passport services in bank branches. This will scale to 1 000 bank branches, and services will be available digitally through online banking apps.

National Population Register upgrade

We are upgrading the National Population Register (NPR). Under-pricing of its verification service has led to systemic issues. We have gazetted a new price structure to fund sustainability: R10 for real-time peak hour verifications, R1 for batch transactions.

We have onboarded the entire justice cluster – SASSA, SAPS and the Department of Justice – who now process over 180 000 transactions daily with error rates below 1%.

Three major private sector users have transitioned, improving system stability. One has processed over one million records through the new batch system.

We urge all users to contact verifications@dha.gov.za to optimise usage.

We are also implementing doorstep courier delivery using facial recognition, eliminating queues and ensuring secure delivery.

Digital ID

We are creating policy and technology foundations for South Africa’s first digital ID. This will include e-passports, e-birth certificates and digital IDs. The draft policy will be submitted to Cabinet and undergo public consultation.

We are collaborating with the South African Reserve Bank on a digital identity system using facial recognition.

Budget

I am tabling a budget of R11 billion for Home Affairs. The baseline increases by:

• R321 million in 2025/26
• R1.2 billion in 2026/27
• R369 million in 2027/28

The Border Management Authority (BMA) budget is:

• R1.7 billion in 2025/26
• R1.8 billion in 2026/27
• R1.9 billion in 2027/28

We are considering new revenue streams to support the BMA.

The IEC receives R885 million additional funding in 2026/27, with a total 2025/26 budget of R2.1 billion.

Conclusion

Home Affairs is on a transformative journey.

If we can make Home Affairs work, so too can South Africa work.

We are solving problems through digital transformation.

We must defeat complacency and embrace urgency.

With every day, we move closer to our goal: digital transformation delivering dignity for all.

Thank you.

Enquiries:
Siya Qoza
Cell: 082 898 1657

Duwayne Esau
Spokesperson for the Minister
Cell: 077 606 9702

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