AMBASSADOR GIPS MEETS WITH HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 000216

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2020
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF CVIS KTIP SF
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR GIPS MEETS WITH HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER
DLAMINI-ZUMA

REF: PRETORIA 2622

Classified By: Political Counselor Walter N.S. Pflaumer for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


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Summary
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1. (C) On January 26, Department of Home Affairs (DHA)
Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma met with Ambassador Gips, DCM
LaLime and PolOff (notetaker). The Minister welcomed
bilateral cooperation, albeit with the proviso that SAG and
USG interests be weighted equally. Her main requests were
for U.S. guidance on immigration instruments (visas and
permits as well as promotion campaigns) to attract skilled
migrants, and on interagency integration at ports of entry
(per the US/DHS model). On DHA's "turnaround" project
(reftel),Dlamini-Zuma said the current focus was on
"cleaning" the population rolls by registering all citizens
and putting an end to late-birth entries that are sources of
fraud. Coupled with new process controls to plug "leaks" in
security, the Minister was confident of achieving integrity
of SAG passports within a few years. Further, she was intent
on changing the culture of Home Affairs from corrupt to
service-oriented. Finally, Dlamini-Zuma affirmed South
Africa was ready for the World Cup, with new passenger
screening measures in place. End Summary.

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USG-SAG Cooperation -- If Between Equals
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2. (C) Dlamini-Zuma's advice to a new U.S. Ambassador was to
understand South Africa and its ambitions, and to seek common
interests rather than imposing U.S. priorities. Belying her
reputation as fierce and formidable, the Minister was
softspoken and smiling in this meeting -- articulate but
gentle, candid but warm. Encouragingly, she described
SAG-USG relations as building from 1994-99, then lapsed for
eight years, and now with a potential to get back on track.
Although readily armed with suggestions for bilateral
cooperation, she stressed that this must be on an equal
footing. "We all know America and its role in the world; you
don't have to throw it in our faces. Most South Africans
want partnerships and cooperation, but they can be sensitive
when they have a sense of being bullied. (I haven't seen
that lately.)" When the Ambassador noted Secretary Clinton's
approach of asking and listening (not telling) during her
August 2009 visit, the Minister responded approvingly: "This
way you can raise tough issues and get to see the people you
need to see.... Don't be shy to come and discuss with us, and
to understand our point of view, even where we disagree."
This opening meeting lasted nearly two hours.

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Immigration to Attract Skills (U.S. a Model)
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3. (U) Among possible areas of collaboration the Minister's
top priority was a review of immigration instruments,
specifically as a means to address skills shortages.
So-called "scarce skills" encompassed a very wide range of
professions, not just doctors and engineers but also
plumbers, welders, and even artisans. South Africa wanted to
attract skilled migrants, but it was not meeting its targets
because it lacked the needed visa and permit structures. The
SAG must address the issue more proactively, said the
Minister, starting by studying the successful examples of
high-immigration countries like the U.S., Canada, and
Australia. In contrast to the range of targeted U.S. visas
QAustralia. In contrast to the range of targeted U.S. visas
(especially the H1-V),SAG immigration relied mainly on a
catch-all asylum-seeker's permit, leaving economic migrants
without an alternative channel when they were refused refugee
status. The Ambassador noted that professionals abroad were
likely unaware of the SAG's desire for their skills, judging
by queries from U.S. doctors unsure if they could obtain
permission to work here. The Ambassador offered to find U.S.
experts to advise Home Affairs officials.

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Ports of Entry: Can USG Advise?
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4. (SBU) The Minister's second request for U.S. guidance
concerned the management of ports of entry. In particular,
she wanted to understand the integration in airports of

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interagency processes like passport checks, security, and
customs. When the Ambassador explained how U.S. agencies
were joined under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) after 9/11, the Minister said the SAG was in
the process of forming an analogous body (an agency, not a
ministry). Noting that DHS training to the SAG was ongoing,
DCM LaLime volunteered to put the two sides in contact. The
Ambassador further offered to contact DHS in Washington to
locate relevant expertise. During the formative days of DHS,
he suggested, its planners most likely conducted a survey of
best practices around the world, such as the SAG was now
seeking. As a next step, the two sides agreed to arrange a
roundtable discussion between relevant agencies -- perhaps
State and DHS for the USG; and the Department of Home Affairs
(DHA),South African Revenue Service (SARS),and South
African Police Service (SAPS) for the SAG -- to be followed
by exchanges of visits to the two countries' ports of entry.

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"Cleaning the Register" for Passport Integrity
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5. (C) Asked about Home Affairs' operational "Turnaround"
project, Dlamini-Zuma said her main focus for the next two
years would be on cleaning the population register --
ensuring it was complete and correct for South African
citizens, and purged of fraud and duplication. The priority
here was registration of all citizens, beginning with minors
15 and under (who are targets for identity theft scams,
before they apply for an ID card at age 16),then extending
to all adults, and ultimately putting an end to the late
birth registrations which are the main source of fraud. The
birth certificate would also be expanded, to include the name
and number of the mother, as an additional link back to the
register. Henceforth the only point of entry onto the
register would be at birth (when fraud is least likely).
When that goal was reached, DHA would begin chasing down all
records flagged as suspicious. The DCM noted that U.S.
consular officials often encountered such cases (of
non-nationals holding fraudulently obtained SAG passports)
and were seeking a reliable DHA counterpart to act on them.
The Minister agreed it was important to share all such
information with Home Affairs. The two sides agreed to
establish a contact channel.

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"Plugging the Leaks" in Processing Security
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6. (C) Alongside the registration drive, Home Affairs was
progressing well on tightening system and process controls to
promote security and deter fraud. With the help of outside
consultants, whose engagement with Home Affairs ended in
December 2009, DHA had shifted from paper-based to electronic
recordkeeping, with a central data base and real-time network
links to its nationwide offices. Data capture was now
online, with photographs taken on the spot (versus the former
mail-in applications with paper photos) and fingerprints
captured. More than 80 percent of the passport offices were
now equipped with biometrics. (Services for migrants lagged
those for nationals, however.) When these controls were
fully implemented, closing off the "leaks" in the system, and
the population register had been scrubbed clean with birth
the only allowed point of entry, then Home Affairs would
Qthe only allowed point of entry, then Home Affairs would
undertake a campaign to recall, revise, and reissue the
nation's identity documents. Dlamini-Zuma confided that
although she was under political pressure to press for an end
to the U.K. visa requirement for South Africans, she refused
to do so until she was herself fully confident of the
integrity of SAG passports.

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"Transformation": Corruption Out, Service In
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7. (U) Beyond boosting efficiency and security, Dlamini-Zuma
spoke of changing the culture of Home Affairs, from one of
"endemic" corruption to one oriented around customer service
with appropriate controls in place. Bribes to DHA clerks
were the norm far back into the apartheid era. Officials
were known to sell "dormant" ID numbers (belonging to minors
under 16 who had not yet applied for ID cards),and these IDs
were then used to obtain passports. Investigators found
"syndicates within syndicates" inside DHA, working in groups
to use log-ons of officers on holiday to execute fraudulent
transactions for which the absent individuals would be
absolved. (These scams have now been blocked by the
introduction of biometric log-ons along with password, for

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positive identification of the author of any transaction.)
Consultants have introduced an ethic of hard work, with
feedback on performance. Asked whether she would recommend
any particular DHA center as a model to visit, the Minister
quipped that we should simply visit one at random and let her
know our impressions. She welcomed the Ambassador's interest
in visiting the new center at Pretoria showgrounds.

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World Cup Security: Screening Air Travelers
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8. (U) Asked about the World Cup, Dlamini-Zuma affirmed that
Home Affairs was ready, including with new passenger
screening measures. In certain hubs of flights bound for
South Africa (e.g. in the UK, UAE, and Kenya),DHA would post
line liaison officers to screen passenger manifests, running
checks against Interpol lists and SAG watchlists. In this
way, individuals of concern would be identified before
arrival. Further, DHA was in talks with South African
Airways (SAA) proposing to station immigration officers on
board incoming flights, to process them before landing and
enable them to proceed directly to baggage claim. With
regard to the potential for human trafficking through South
Africa, the Minister said that border officers had been
trained to detect suspicious behaviors. Additionally, World
Cup fans would be asked to produce their tickets as proof of
their purpose for travel. The National Defense Force (SANDF)
would be deployed along borders, particularly at areas of
most common illegal crossings. At airports, plans had been
floated for special rooms to accommodate potential
trafficking victims, with psychologists on hand to assist
children.

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Post Follow-ups
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9. (C) Action items for post are:

(i) Immigration instruments: poloff to arrange a meeting
between embassy officers (most likely Labor, DHS, and
Consular) and DHA counterparts to discuss U.S. instruments
and programs to attract skilled migrants. We will also
invite officers from Canada and Australia to share their
countries' approaches.

(ii) Ports of entry: poloff to put DHS in Johannesburg in
contact with Minister's aide regarding ongoing training in
South Africa. Ambassador to call his contacts at DHS in
Washington to locate relevant expertise. Poloff to arrange a
roundtable discussion between USG (DHS and State) and SAG
(DHA, SARS, SAPS).

(iii) Suspicious passports: poloff to put Johannesburg
consular officers in contact with Minister's aide to
negotiate channels of communication on potential fraud cases.

(iv) Visits to DHA centers: poloff will continue ongoing
visits to reception centers for non-nationals (within refugee
portfolio),and arrange a visit for the Ambassador to the new
"model" center for SA nationals in Pretoria.
GIPS