The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) presented its submission on the One Stop Border Post Bill to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee: Home Affairs today.  The Federation supports the important objectives of this long-delayed Bill to ensure a more efficient and streamlined approach to managing the flow of visitors and goods between our land borders.

Efficient border management can help end the days long delays for travellers and goods, in particular at key land borders with Zimbabwe and Mozambique as well as other border posts with Lesotho, eSwatini, Botswana and Namibia.  If managed correctly, these can boost tourism and exports as well as jobs in their value chains.

Whilst welcoming the Bill, we remain concerned that it does not give sufficient attention to the need to not only expedite the passage of travellers and goods but also to ensure that South African immigration and custom laws are enforced in full.  South Africa has seen a massive increase in undocumented migration as well as a flood of illicit goods into the economy.  These are not sustainable and pose a dire threat to local jobs, businesses, value chains and revenue due to the state to fund essential public services.

It is critical that Parliament strengthen the Bill to affirm the respective roles of the Border Management Authority, the South African Revenue Service, the South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force.  Their roles are equally critical and complementary but must be enshrined in the Bill to avoid the policy and administrative gaps that have often created confusion with regards to border management.

COSATU is dismayed that the Department for Home Affairs, failed to table the Bill at Nedlac for engagement with business and labour, despite a prior commitment to do so.  The executive must at all times respect the Nedlac Act requiring all labour and socio-economic legislation to be engaged upon at Nedlac prior to being tabled at Parliament.  This is key to building social compacts and ensuring that Parliament receives legislation that has been enriched by social partners.

Government and Parliament need to ensure that the BMA, SARS, SAPS and the SANDF are provided with the necessary resources required to fulfill their constitutional mandates.  Whilst there is a cost to pay today, the benefits of such investments in the capacity of the state to enforce the rule of law will be recovered with a growing economy, thriving businesses, falling unemployment and increased revenue for the fiscus.

It is time government cracked the whip on the explosion of undocumented migration and illicit goods. 

Issued by COSATU

Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)

Cell: 082 785 0687

Email: mattew@cosatu.org.za