2024 report card: Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber’s highs and lows this year

The Department of Home Affairs has been in the spotlight throughout 2024, following the replacement of former minister Aaron Motsoaledi with Schreiber. But how did Schreiber do? We take a look.

Initially, many South Africans had hoped the portfolio would go to Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie, whose election slogan, Abahambe, helped the party secure about nine seats in Parliament.

McKenzie had promised his voters mass deportations of illegal immigrants, among other measures.

ALSO READ: Home Affairs to bring 11 000 highly skilled employees to SA

However, President Cyril Ramaphosa gave the portfolio to Schreiber.

Schreiber’s highs

There was a moment of uncertainty among those who had voted for McKenzie as they questioned the DA’s policies and how they would inform Schreiber’s approach to the issue of illegal immigration.

Zimbabwean Exemption Permits

After his appointment, Schreiber said he needed time to review the processes and “missteps” in how the Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEPs) were handled.

His comments came after the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) ruled that former Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi had unlawfully terminated the ZEP.

“We have to approach all of these things based on what our Constitution tells us. The courts have spoken on a particular way in which this matter has been handled. I will obviously need some time to go and review the processes and what some of the missteps were,” he told Newzroom Afrika at the time.

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“The fundamental point to make is that we must uphold the law. That means where there are fraudulent activities or where people have engaged in corruption to obtain certificates or have corrupted the ZEP, there will need to be consequences. We must uphold the law in that space,” he said.

Late in November, his department extended the deadline for ZEPs by another year as consultations on the process and applications for different visas continued.

He received praise for the extension, as it will allow for the department to get the processes right to avoid court losses in the matter.

Chidimma Adetshina

In a year that the Miss South Africa competition received a lot of attention from South Africans and foreign countries alike, Schreiber earned the praise of South Africans after unearthing a case of identity theft.

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One contestant, Chidimma Adetshina, a 23-year-old woman raised eyebrows after saying in her introductory videos that she was born in Soweto to a Zulu mother of Mozambican descent and a Nigerian father.

Her name, not reflective of her South African mother’s side of the family led to several people digging into her life, and the results were not in her favour.

South Africans were divided over the matter, as some cried xenophobia, while others alleged identity fraud.

Then came Schreiber, whose department investigated the matter following requests and consent from both Chidimma and her mother.

The department’s investigation revealed that Chidimma’s mother had allegedly stolen the identity of a South African child to register her birth.

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Chidimma withdrew from the competition and went on to compete in the same competition in her home country and represent it at the Miss Universe competition.

Meanwhile, the department has confirmed it would revoke Chidimma and her mother’s documents after failing to explain their South African identities.

Schreiber’s lows

Despite some achievements, Schreiber faced backlash for prioritising foreign nationals through critical skills visas as South Africans called on citizens to be given more economic opportunities.

Visas

In September, Schreiber briefed the portfolio committee on Home Affairs on the implementation of the Vulindlela recommendations related to the department.

The recommendations aim to review the regulatory framework and processes that govern the issuing of critical skills, general work, business and intracompany transfer visas at the department.

Schreiber revealed that the department had approved 4,913 critical skills visas since 2020.

In a separate address at the Rand Merchant Bank Morgan Stanley Investor Conference in the same month, Schreiber said importing more tertiary educated workers would boost South Africa’s economy.

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“Bringing just 11 000 more highly skilled and experienced individuals to South Africa would triple the annual growth rate from the 0.6% the country experienced last year,” Schrieber told the conference, citing International Food Poverty Research Institute analysis.

This has earned him scorn as he faces allegations of prioritising foreigners while South Africans languish in unemployment.

The same portfolio committee he briefed called on the department to prioritise South Africans before issuing critical skills visas.

Ukraine visa

In October, Schreiber was highly criticised on social media after prematurely making an announcement Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya was still in the works.

“I am honoured to announce that, in my capacity as Minister of Home Affairs representing the Republic of South Africa, I have signed a historic agreement granting visa-free access to our country for Ukrainian holders of diplomatic, official and service passports – and vice versa,” said Schreiber in a post on X.

“We continue to see Ukraine as a valued ally, as a valued friend, who supported us right from the beginning, from the days of our struggle against apartheid, right through to now.

ALSO READ: Schreiber claims ‘historic Ukraine visa agreement’, but Presidency denies authorisation

“I look forward to President Ramaphosa adding his signature to this agreement in the coming week so that we can conclude this important step forward for relations between our two peace-loving nations.”

In response to Schreiber, Magwenya said: “The president (Ramaphosa) is yet to sign the minute authorising the minister to sign the agreement with Ukraine. It is unclear how the minister can announce the signature of an international agreement without prior formal authorisation to do so.”

Schreiber was criticised for making the announcement ahead of the president, accused of grandstanding.

Still early days

Political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast believes it is still early days to judge how well ministers have fared so far since their appointment in July.

Although Schreiber has announced plans to transform the department, the results of his plans are yet to be seen.

“Not much has happened in terms of getting the job done. Of course, there have been controversies like the issue of Ukraine. He contradicted President Ramaphosa.

“He did seem like he was causing a major shake-up, but not much has happened in terms of dealing with institutional issues of corruption,” Breakfast told The Citizen.

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“That department has a history of corruption. I know some officials were suspended, but I don’t want to be taken up by these recent developments and say that he has done well or not.

“He came with the energy though, in terms of what needs to be done, but I think so far, so good.

“In terms of the mandate of his department, including dealing with illegal immigrants, I’m not sure if he has done it well on that, it’s still early days to tell.

“The transformation at the public sector has been done by the ANC, so it’s also very difficult to say the bureaucracy that has been brought by the ANC has been done away with because those people are not deployed, they are employed.”