Minister of Home Affairs Nosiviwe Mapisa-nqakula of South Africa

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is the Minister of Home Affairs in the Republic of South Africa.

Mapisa-Nqakula was made deputy minister after having served as ANC Chief Whip in Parliament for just five months last year.

Mapisa-Nqakula was elected general secretary of the women's league in 1993 and held the position until Dlamini's election to the position in 1997.

Tightening border controls is the "worst" thing South Africa could do to curb illegal immigration, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Tuesday.

Mapisa-Nqakula said other improved services included pre-screening and pre-clearance at seven international airports at the port of entry, security checks on visitors with the help of foreign governments and streamlining "queue management" at airports.

He said Mapisa-Nqakula had a \"long history of denial\" as to the extent of illegal immigration into South Africa, mainly from Zimbabwe.

Speaking at a business breakfast on Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said the department had made provision for visiting soccer fans to be issued with special events visas as opposed to the standard visas.

Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said next year's Confederations Cup to be held in June would provide the department with a dry run, testing their readiness ahead of the world cup.

Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was positive that the country, and her department, would be able to deliver for 2010.

Appointed a full member of the cabinet in 2004 (she was previously a deputy minister), Mapisa-Nqakula is one of a sizeable group who have won status and respect as leaders and benefited from President Thabo Mbeki's strong affirmation of women.

Like many exiled women, Mapisa-Nqakula has always been active in women's organisations as the fight for women's liberation was viewed as closely bound up with the fight for national liberation.

After graduation, Mapisa-Nqakula found herself in East London where she inevitably became involved in politics, founding a trade union for domestic workers.

They have four children, the youngest of whom was very young when Mapisa-Nqakula was sent from Johannesburg to represent the ANC in parliament.

Mapisa-Nqakula says this was one of the hardest things she had to do.

Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says many foreigners have been reintegrated with their communities, although some hostility continues.

Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has indicated that the government might issue identification papers to all illegal immigrants in the country.

The government needs to adopt a new approach to deal with Zimbabwean citizens flocking into South Africa, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Tuesday.

Mapisa-Nqakula said it is a waste of money to keep deporting people, as the majority of them return within a few days.

Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was widely quoted as accepting that the the authorities had to find a new way of dealing with the illegal immigrants who cross over from the north every day.

While the government would not grant them refugee status, Mapisa-Nqakula said temporary permits could be a way of regularising their status.

Mapisa-Nqakula said it was a waste of money deporting Zimbabweans every week as the majority of them returned within a few days.

In a prepared speech for the opening of the recent Second International ODF conference in Pretoria, Mapisa-Nqakula said that the department of home affairs was forging ahead to make open standards a priority to ensure future ability to process and share documents using formats which have significant impact on the efficiency, interoperability and accessibility of public services.

Johannesburg - South African Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said Tuesday that the country is not going to tighten border controls despite many illegal immigrants entering the country.

Mapisa-Nqakula was speaking at a media briefing on immigration logistics for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, and how African countries would be accommodated to attend the event.

JOHANNESBURG - Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says the turnaround strategy implemented a year ago is starting to bear fruit.

CAPE TOWN - The home affairs departments turnaround project is starting to bear fruit after a year of implementation with some key services fundamentally re-engineered, Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Monday.

The findings, which minister Mapisa-Nqakula described as "an indictment on our own work as a department", included revelations that most of the deaths were caused by meningitis and other natural causes, rather than poisoning as has been frequently alleged by inmates.

Mapisa-Nqakula said it was important that governments that were signatories to United Nations and Organisation of African Unity conventions on refugees "should concern themselves with issues such as counselling, safety, reproductive health issues and skills development for women.

Mapisa-Nqakula said she had recently toured the Lindela Repatriation Centre.

Cape Town - Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has done her best to try and bring order and stability into the chaotic Home Affairs Department, MPs heard on Tuesday.

Mapisa-Nqakula was also due to be questioned about problems in her department including the shocking condition of a refugee centre in Cape Town Harbour.

Chauke said a meeting with Mapisa-Nqakula had to be arranged as a matter of urgency as there was a danger of the situation in Home Affairs deteriorating even further.

Gigaba was at the committee meeting but said he would answer the allegations against him when Mapisa-Nqakula was present before the committee.

PARLIAMENT - South Africans will have to carry the guilty created by the recent xenophobic attacks for years to come, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Tuesday.

CAPE TOWN - South Africa needs to provide a special dispensation for economic migrants from elsewhere in the Southern African Development Community, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Wednesday.

PARLIAMENT - Home affairs minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was on Tuesday forced to review her decision to block departmental provincial managers from appearing before a parliamentary committee.

FRANCISTOWN: African National Congress (ANC) Women’s League president Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been invited to officiate at the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Women’s Wing Congress on May 5.

Mapisa-Nqakula is South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister.

By Linda Daniels Despite an intervention task team raising "serious concerns" about the home affairs department's current leadership and management capabilities, Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says heads will not roll.

Mapisa-Nqakula said the task team was not meant to be a "witchhunt" of underperforming managers.

Mapisa-Nqakula said she was optimistic that the department could be overhauled.

Mapisa-Nqakula said she recognized the difficulties they faced and she pledged to redouble efforts by her ministry to fully implement policies aimed at integrating refugees and asylum seekers into society.