Business Unity South Africa (Busa) has voiced grave concerns about the delays in passing the Immigration Bill, warning that this could derail government’s multimillion-rand infrastructure programmes.
Changes to the Immigration Amendment Bill, aimed at easing obstacles in the importation of scarce skills to deal with the increasing demand on the country’s infrastructure development, were approved by the National Assembly in November last year. The Amendment Bill now only needs the approval of President Thabo Mbeki to become law, but the government has delayed the process.
Vic van Vuuren, the chief operating officer for Busa, told the Mail & Guardian this week that, despite several inquiries by businesses on the process, there has been no clear answers from government.
“We have made several inquiries on the process, but nothing has been forthcoming. There is no reason why the changes could not be approved. This is a very important Bill that we need to sort out urgently. The longer it takes, the more uncertainty there will be. How do you get the skills needed by the economy if there are uncertainties around the Bill?” asked Van Vuuren.
The government has invested more than R400-billion in infrastructure programmes, which need specialised skills to be successfully implemented. The government’s growth initiative, Asgisa, has identified the country’s skills shortage as one of the key constraints to growth.
South Africa does not have enough engineers and artisans to carry out the infrastructure developments.
The Immigration Bill seeks to address discrepancies around the rules applying to foreign workers. If approved, the Bill will increase the period of intra-company transfers from two to four years.
Van Vuuren said South Africa needed foreign specialists to fast-track the implementation of certain infrastructure projects. “When you build a bridge or stadium, you need someone with more than 15 years of experience,” he said.
His views on immigration are shared by Julian Pokroy, spokesÂperson for the South African Chamber of Business.
“This is not conducive. The failure to fast-track the process is having a detrimental effect on the economy,” said Pokroy, who blamed the home affairs department for delaying the process.
Pokroy said the home affairs immigration advisory board, which is supposed to handle immigration matters, has not met for a year.
“The current quota provisions deprive people of the opportunity to apply for permanent residency in South Africa. It is a nightmare to apply for a work permit … It takes three months to three years for the home affairs department to finalise applications.”
Pokroy said the main reason why the department was unable to deal with the immigration issue was because of the lack of capacity in the department.
“The department does not have qualified people to deal with the problem. Most senior positions within the department are not filled. Young people who could make a career in government are not applying for positions in the department because it has become an embarrassment. There are more empty desks in key positions than there are in key people occupying the desks,” he said.
Hlomane Chauke, the chairperson of the portfolio committee on home affairs, said he was surprised by the delays. “It [the Bill] was supposed to have been signed by now. Parliament has done its work.”
Cleopatra Mosana, spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, said the matter was no longer in the hands of the department. “Home affairs has done its work.”
Future skills
Jipsa has completed its process of identifying obstacles that constrain priority skills acquisition. The high- priority skills areas include:
Engineering
Problems:
Each year, South Africa produces 1 400 engineers, but only about half of these graduates register with the Engineering Council of South Africa as practising professionals. Jipsa has determined that to meet projected demand, the average annual output of engineers needs to increase by 1 000 to 2 400 a year.
Proposed solutions:
- South Africa must, in the short term, increase its efforts to fast-track the importation of skills to meet immediate demand. This is because the country has experienced a major increase in infrastructure development and other large capital projects, and all projections suggest that this growth phase will continue for the next decade as the Asgisa strategy takes effect.
- Ensuring that a higher number of engineering graduates register as practising engineers.
- Increasing the number of engineering graduates.
Artisans
Problems:
South Africa is experiencing a severe shortage of qualified, competent, experienced artisans. While the economy produces about 5 000 artisans a year, research suggests that 12 500 should be produced each year over the next four years to meet demand.
Proposed solutions:
- Produce 7 500 additional artisans each year, totalling 12 500 a year. This is a projected increase of 30 000 artisans for the period 2007 to 2010.
- Key to achieving this target lies in gaining agreement on 16 priority trades as well as the requirements for each, including automotive electricians, boiler makers, carpenters and joiners, diesel mechanics, earth-moving equipment mechanics, light and heavy electricians, fitters, fitters and turners, instrument mechanics, millwrights, motor mechanics, sheet metal trades workers, shutter hands and steel fixers, tool-makers and pattern-makers and welders.
Town and regional planning
Problems:
Initial research by Jipsa indicates that the constraints on effective and efficient planning operate on two levels. Aspects of planning legislation and institutional arrangements require review. The determination of the competencies and qualifications required by planners, their professional registration and continuing professional development.?????
Proposed solutions:
Jipsa is in the process of formulating proposals to address these challenges in consultation with the appropriate government departments, institutions such as the South African Council for Planners and higher education institutions.
The sector has considerable potential to absorb a significant number of unemployed people into formal employment. But there are two constraints: uncompetitive telecommunications pricing and a shortage of skills. South Africa needs a wider pool of entry-level and work-ready young people to expand the call centre industry, as well as supervisors, middle managers and senior managers
Proposed solution:
Resolve blockages and devise a skills development strategy.
Tourism
Problems:
The competitiveness of the sector is hampered by a failure to develop programmes to deal systematically with skills gaps. Scares skills include technical management, information and knowledge management, product knowledge and language and communication.
Proposed solutions:
- Improve industry skills development coordination through the establishment of the National Tourism and Sports Skills Development Forum comprising key stakeholders.
- Improve curriculum development and participation in education and training by reviewing the current tourism curricula.
- Finalise the revised skills plan by the end of April 2007
ICT
Problems:
Statistics indicate that the current low levels of ICT skills in South Africa could harm its competitiveness in the global marketplace and undermine Asgisa’s objectives.
Proposed solutions:
A national ICT training plan must speak to the broader ICT skills and technology appropriation at national level, rather than focusing narrowly on the ICT industry.