Immigration advisory board to advise home affairs on policy

Former home affairs director-general Dr Mavuso Msimang will chair a newly appointed immigration advisory board (IAB) to guide government policy. He recently led the Operation Vulindlela review of the visa system, was a co-founder of the African Parks Network and previously held senior positions in SA Tourism and the State IT Agency (Sita).

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The 13-member board, named by home affairs minister Leon Schreiber, comprises five independent members selected on the basis of their knowledge, experience and involvement in immigration law, control, adjudication or enforcement, two people nominated by organised business and labour and six people selected by government departments and entities.

The members of the IAB are:

Mavuso Msimang (independent chairperson);
Andreas Krensel (independent deputy chairperson);
Zahida Ebrahim (independent);
James Chapman (independent);
Stefanie de Saude-Darbandi (independent);
Malose Phoko (organised labour);
Marisa Jacobs (organised business);
Tommy Makhode (director-general, department of home affairs);
Yusuf Simons (acting deputy director-general for immigration services, department of home affairs);
Maj-Gen (retired) David Chilembe (deputy commissioner for operations, Border Management Authority);
Shabeer Kahn (accountant-general: National Treasury);
Anemé Malan (deputy director-general for tourism research, policy and international relations, department of tourism); and;
Jacobus Schoeman (deputy director-general for domestic intelligence, State Security Agency).

Schreiber said: “The appointments also support our commitment to ensuring all decisions taken by home affairs are anchored in evidence-based policy and upholding the rule of law.

“The IAB will enable the department to draw on deep and varied expertise, and empirical evidence, to improve the security and efficiency of South Africa’s immigration system, while ensuring policy and regulation supports the government’s apex priority of unlocking economic growth and job creation.”

In addition to advising on regulation and policy, he said the IAB will consider and provide advice on the future of exemption permits, including the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), to ensure compliance with the high court ruling that declared an earlier decision to summarily terminate the ZEP as unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid. The decision was subsequently ratified by the Constitutional Court.

*SOURCED FROM TIMESLIVE