[ Home ] [ Speeches & statements ]

It is a great pleasure for me to meet again with the Honourable Phillip Ruddock to continue what have become an intense dialogue and, indeed, a strong partnership. I believe that our partnership in the field of migration control underpins the relationship between our two countries and I feel that the strength of co-operation that South Africa and Australia have developed in the field of migration control and refugee affairs should, indeed, be an example of the strength and intensity of relationships, exchanges and friendship that South Africa and Australia should rightly develop across each and every field of government endeavours.

In fact, in spite of the profound differences between our two countries, it seems to me that South Africa and Australia find themselves having to fulfil a singular responsibility in the intricate matrix of international relations. Both countries happen to enjoy the position of relative developmental advantage within their respective regions, which creates the responsibility of becoming engines of progress, development and liberalisation for neighbouring countries and countries which gravitate within the same region.

Obviously, South Africa is admittedly far less developed, progressed and prosperous than Australia and yet, within the sea of under-development, despair and need which characterises many regions of this continent, we represent an island of relative prosperity, democracy and development. The field of migration control highlights the relationship between greater relative prosperity and the sense of responsibility which ties each of our two countries to our neighbours and friends in the geo-political regions to which we belong.

These ties are made manifest by the flow of people who move into South Africa and Australia respectively. Both countries are recipients of a migratory flow of people and are affected both by the beneficial aspects of this phenomenon as well as its socially undesirable and problematic features. Perhaps the distribution of positive and negative aspects of migration fluxes may vary between South Africa and Australia, but in respect of both countries the migratory fluxes of people into our territories present a mixed bag of great benefits and enrichment, plus problems and concerns.

We are very indebted for the invitation we received to participate in the Bali Conference as observers, to become more acquainted with the techniques, efforts and exchanges employed to implement the commitments we made in Palermo in December 2000 to fight together the scourges of people smuggling and trafficking in people. For us that was an extraordinary experience, not only because of what we have learned by listening to the experiences of our colleagues in other countries, but also because of the bilateral discussions which we held which have laid the foundation for more intense future exchanges of information and other forms of co-operation which will strengthen our common fight against such undesirable phenomena. Operating as they do on a global or regional basis, such phenomena require a global or regional response. I feel that the individual and collective response to the scourge of people smuggling and trafficking in people of each of the countries which participated in the Bali Conference, will be greatly strengthened and enhanced by the possibility of counting on South Africa as a committed and trusted partner.

On this occasion we can explore further how to give greater substance to this partnership and see how we can strengthen exchanges of information, liaison and co-ordination between our respective Departments. I wish to take this opportunity to praise Minister Phillip Ruddock as a visionary statesman who has understood and fully appreciated the wisdom of reaching out towards other countries to forge strong partnerships and bonds of friendship. His leadership in the international arena is considered productive of tangible results and is much appreciated, projecting the type of positive and constructive leadership which both South Africa and Australia have the responsibility to exercise in our respective contexts.

Undoubtedly, leadership carries responsibilities and lies more in what one does to assist others than what one would expect others to do to help us with our problems. I must praise the Honourable Phillip Ruddock for having given an exemplary demonstration of this type of leadership. In my opinion, this is indeed the type of leadership which is required in our troubled world to overcome the challenges and threats which are now posed against the civilised and progressive way of life. This threat comes from interest groups, rogue states, tyrants and despots who are resisting progress, freedom and democracy to protect their oppressive positions of privilege. I feel that we are engaged in a great battle in which the forces of democracy, law and order, progress and freedom ought to work together with mutual respect and co-ordination, not only to strengthen one another by correcting one another's mistakes and assisting one another, but also by making it a common cause to deal with those who are undermining the very foundation of mankind's future stages of growth, progress and development.

If one really thinks about it, those who are engaged in the systematic trafficking in people which, for their profit, turns human beings into slaves or commodities, belong to the same cultural and logistical milieu of international organised crime, which often backs or constitutes a breeding ground for international terrorists. By the same token, phenomena such as trafficking in people are the product of under-development, poverty and oppression which, in many situations, have been able to flourish because the development which comes with democracy, freedom and the features of an open society, has been delayed by forms of government which remain autocratic, obscurantist, regressive and backward looking. In a world which is moving at a fast pace towards progress, change and development, states which do not keep up because of the greed, incompetence or corruption of their leaders, are indeed failing their populations, producing an ever-widening divide between those who keep up and those who remain behind.

In extreme situations this disparity is the backdrop against which phenomena like trafficking in people or international terrorism are likely to be generated. Therefore, it is essential that South Africa and Australia strengthen their ties to form an even stronger partnership for regional development, progress and freedom.

I am very mindful of the role that South Africa ought to play in its own region, even though, because I am merely the Minister of Home Affairs, and not the President of South Africa or its Minister of Foreign Affairs, I must limit my considerations to that which deals with my own line function responsibilities. However, as the Leader of a minority Party in the coalition which governs South Africa, I feel, nonetheless, entitled to express my political perspective that South Africa ought to exercise a more decisive, unwavering and committed role to becoming an engine of freedom, progress and democracy within its own region, forcing progress and transformation where progress and transformation are held back and delayed by the greed of despots and tyrants, or ineffective and inadequate systems of government.

Mankind is becoming an increasingly more close-knit family which is coming together in the age of globalisation. As Ministers in charge of migration control we are at the forefront of this phenomenon and face the full brunt of its many challenges.

Our Australian friends know that in South Africa we have just launched a new system of migration control aimed at facing present pressures and future challenges. Our new system intends to make it easier for people to come to South Africa and reside there both on a temporary or permanent residents basis and for a variety of reasons and grounds. While opening the front door to the legal migration of people with skills and those who can make a contribution towards our economic growth, we are committed to closing the back door to illegal migration and the associated phenomena. That requires us to face challenges which are new to our country in two respects. Firstly, in terms of border control and secondly, in terms of enforcement of immigration laws within our territory.

We have a 7,000 mile porous border which is very difficult to monitor and control. Just a few weeks ago we began a programme of exchange and mutual assistance with the US Department of Homeland Security which oversees border control in the United States. Out of that programme we hope to receive structured assistance in understanding how we can improve on our border control in spite of the dramatically limited resources with which we find ourselves having to operate. As our colleagues know, because of its position of relative greater affluence within its region, South Africa has to face many of the challenges of a developed country which receives illegal migratory fluxes, and yet we only have the resources of a developing country available with which to do so. The issue of scarce resources is key to everything we do.

For this reason, we had to place emphasis not only on border control, which remains problematic and uncertain, but also on developing effective techniques of law enforcement within our territory. In this respect it becomes possible for the State to share its burden with the private sector and to spread the enforcement burden amongst a variety of organs of State. It is not my intention to develop law enforcement techniques in which the identity and status of people is checked on in the streets or at roadblocks. However, it is my intention to begin inspecting workplaces to check the nationality and status of those working there and to request a number of organs of State to check the nationality and status of the people receiving their services. By doing so, we will make it increasingly difficult for people to live in South Africa illegally.

We also have the power to extend the obligation to check nationality and status and report to my Department any illegal foreigners in respect of private transactions conducted by private entities such as banks, hotels, professional associations, schools and possibly even hospitals. We now need to develop a plan to determine the extent to which law enforcement ought to be conducted and its modalities. In so doing we need to create a delicate balance between effective law enforcement, and avoiding creating xenophobic perceptions and sentiments within our communities or giving rise to a different type of socially undesirable phenomena, which may be associated with actions on the side of the State which are, or are seen to be, inimical to freedom and liberty.

In this respect we would like to exchange experience and notes with our Australian friends to have a feeling on how effective law enforcement within the territory can be structured, without burdening the overwhelming majority of law abiding citizens or creating xenophobia. Our Government still has little or no resources to even begin focusing on the issue of resettlement programmes, and yet we know that this issue is confronting us. Most countries help the people who become immigrants or even reside temporarily in their territory, to become acquainted with the culture and assist them in their resettlement. We do not have the resources to do so. However, we could promote programmes which encourage NGOs, voluntary associations and other institutions of civil society to perform this function, which is absolutely necessary to avoid the undesirable social phenomena which often becomes associated with foreigners not adapting or becoming isolated within their new context and sliding into deviant behaviour. Also in this respect, we would love to intensify exchanges with our Australian friends and partners to learn from their experience what we can do.

Across the board I feel that we have a lot to learn from Australia and that the relationship between South Africa and Australia can be very beneficial to my country. Undoubtedly, Australia is far ahead of South Africa on the path of progress, development and democracy. However, in the past 10 years South Africa has begun an accelerated transformation which is, indeed, a race to catch up with other countries of the world, not only in our own interest but also in the interest of our continent.

Obviously, in my own country there are people who have different perceptions about the nature of this race and its actual features. I, for one, am totally committed to enabling South Africa to leapfrog from its path of under-development, inequality and injustice, into a future of prosperity, justice and democracy. I know very well that in order to do so South Africa must move on the basis of a long-term vision and be willing to make sacrifices. We need to develop a type of leadership which can take South Africa in that direction and give substance and credence to the commitment we have made to promote in our country a genuine African Renaissance. It is a great challenge confronting our generation of leaders. It is a challenge in which I believe and to which I have dedicated my political life and future political fortunes. I hope that during my visit in Australia I can lay even stronger foundations of trust, mutual friendship and exchanges between South Africa and Australia in order to promote the notion of this African Renaissance, which must be predicated on the unwavering willingness of my country to promote progress, democracy and development without doubts and reservations. In so doing, I hope that the growing friendship between Australia and South Africa may strengthen our respective capacity of fulfilling our shared responsibilities in our regions and together in the world.

Issued by Ministry of Home Affairs

4 June 2003