WHAT Minister Schreiber pledges to fix at Home Affairs

A big fix at Home Affairs is required by the DA’s newly appointed Minister Leon Schreiber, reports BusinessLive. Following the announcement of President Ramaphosa’s 77-strong Cabinet and each member’s swearing in, it’s time for Minister Schreiber and his team to knuckle-down and come up with a fix at Home Affairs.

SCHREIBER’S BIG FIX AT HOME AFFAIRS

“This is a portfolio with a mountain of work, but I’ve got my boots on, so, I’m ready to tackle that,” said Schreiber following his high-profile appointment this week. The Minister acknowledges widespread issues with the following:  

• Visa processing times.
• Long queues.
• ‘System offline’ problems.

Furthermore, he understands that South Africans have been frustrated for years on these matters and hopes to enact a significant reform fix at Home Affairs. “South Africans understand the problems at Home Affairs, like endless queues and the system being offline. And I am passionate about solving those basic problems. I want the system to be online all the time and I want the queues to shorten and eventually be eliminated altogether,” said Schreiber.

WHAT ABOUT SCHREIBER’S BACKGROUND?

At just 35-years old, Minister Schreiber is one of the youngest in the seventh administration. He takes over from Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, who has moved to the Department of Health. He was born in Piketberg and holds a Bachelor’s, BA Honours, and Master’s degrees in Political Science from Stellenbosch, as well as a PHD in Political Science from the University of Berlin in Germany.

Impressively, he authored of a book titled Coalition Country: South Africa after the ANC. In it he predicted the African National Congress (ANC) would lose its electoral majority, just as happened in the 29 May 2024 election.  

His predecessor, Motsoaledi, begged President Ramaphosa for extra money to employ more staff to clear massive department backlogs. However, his successor believes the most important task is getting the basics right first. He says the successful processing of visas can serve as an economic catalyst in sectors where South Africans are scarce on skills.

RESTORE DIGNITY TO THE DEPARTMENT

For Schreiber, the mission is not just about operational efficiency and clearing the visa backlog, but also about restoring dignity to Home Affairs. “Home affairs is what makes us all South African. It’s where we get our ID documents from, it’s the first government department we interact with when our parents go to collect our birth certificates. It’s fundamentally about dignity and our identity,” concluded Schreiber.

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