The Department of Home Affairs was pushing for the Border Management Authority Bill to be passed through Parliament, Home Affairs Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize said just before her budget vote on Wednesday.
Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba was also keen to see the bill passed, she said.
The ANC, which holds the majority of seats in Parliament, failed to get the bill passed in the National Assembly after the plenary could not secure a quorum to put the bill to vote.
All opposition parties voiced their apprehension that the bill, if it were passed in its present form, would usurp the customs and excise function of the South African Revenue Service (SARS). This crucial function has been a revenue generator for the fiscus, but could be unravelled if it were to be taken over by the proposed Border Management Agency, the establishment of which will be triggered by the adoption of the bill.
Speaking to reporters ahead of her budget vote, Mkhize said the bill had gone through "endless consultation" and had long been approved by the Cabinet. The government could no longer postpone interventions to end SA’s fragmented border management, she said.
"Everyone was unanimous in their support for home affairs to take the lead at the Border Management Agency. There were questions about SARS and customs but after engagement, we agreed on co-ordinated management so that we implement policy that is coherent," Mkhize said.
Gigaba, her predecessor at home affairs, remained a supporter of the bill, which had pitted him against the Treasury.
While Mkhize said SARS would still be able to manage revenue from excise after the bill was enacted, there was still no clarity whether this would include revenue collection at ports of entry — this is not expressly stated in the bill.
Her budget vote aimed to prioritise the review of SA’s international migration policy.
The Cabinet’s approval of the white paper on international migration would address SA’s policy position on migration.
"The new white paper is important as it will provide a policy framework for amending immigration and refugee legislation [and] better align them to our goals of using migration for development," she said.
Home Affairs Deputy Minister Fatima Chohan said the department would consider measures to prevent it falling victim to "malicious litigation".
Director-general Mkuseli Apleni said other priorities would be to improve the security of documentation and to combat fraud. "We started with smart cards and passports. People were taking passports fraudulently. We issue manual passports and the minister will make an announcement on that, along with measures on fraud," said Apleni.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.