Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber has emphasised the department’s potential to drive investment, tourism, and economic growth in the country. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
The Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, has revealed his plans to transform the Department of Home Affairs into a key economic enabler through digital transformation.
Speaking at the RMB Morgan Stanley Investor Conference this week, Schreiber emphasised the department’s potential to drive investment, tourism, and economic growth in the country.
Schreiber said for too long, Home Affairs’ critical role in facilitating economic growth had been overlooked, particularly its contribution to national security.
“Securing our immigration and civics systems through automation and digital transformation will deliver an immediate boost to confidence in South Africa’s ability to re-establish law and order,” Schreiber said.
He emphasised the urgency of shifting from outdated, manual, and paper-based processes, which he described as a threat to both national security and the country’s economy.
A key highlight of Schreiber’s address was his announcement of new visa regulations aimed at attracting more skilled workers to South Africa. Schreiber highlighted research from National Treasury that found bringing in additional skills to the economy was the second most important factor, after ending load shedding, in spurring economic growth.
“Attracting just 11 000 more tertiary-educated workers annually could add 1.2% to annual GDP growth,” he said, citing research from the International Food Poverty Research Institute.
According to Schreiber, such an increase in skilled workers could potentially triple South Africa’s annual growth rate.
To facilitate this, he said the department has introduced two new visa categories: the remote working visa and the points-based work visa.
Schreiber said the remote working visa would allow individuals employed and paid abroad to live and spend their foreign currency in South Africa for up to six months without the need to register with the South African Revenue Service.
“Our new remote working visa must be one of the best deals I’ve ever come across. South Africa carries none of the cost of employing these nomads, yet we reap all of the benefits,” he said.
In addition, he said the points-based work visa would allow highly skilled workers with job offers in South Africa to qualify, based on a combination of factors such as qualifications, work experience, and salary level.
“The days when highly skilled workers had no pathway to help build this country if their skills were not included on the critical skills list are gone.”
These regulatory reforms are part of a broader initiative that includes the Trusted Employer Scheme and the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme, both designed to cut red tape for large tour groups from China and India, he said.
Schreiber noted that these reforms could bring South Africa much closer to the additional skilled workers and the tourism growth needed to quadruple economic output.
While the regulatory changes are essential, Schreiber also acknowledged that they would mean little without significant improvements in administrative processes at Home Affairs.
“The inefficiency and corruption that has plagued this department can all be traced back to its outdated manual and paper-based processes.”
His vision included creating a digital-first Home Affairs, where services, such as applying for IDs and passports can be completed entirely online from the comfort of one’s home.
The minister’s vision extended to digitising the visa adjudication process, enabling tourists, skilled workers, and investors to apply online and receive decisions through automated systems, eliminating human intervention to prevent fraud.
“Home Affairs has done all of this within a few short months under the Government of National Unity. Imagine what we can do for this economy over a full five-year term,’’ Schreiber said.
The Mercury