A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE E-PASSPORT SYSTEM IN BOTSWANA AND LESOTHO by MALINOPI MOLOIATSANA CAROLINE PHATE Student number 16370211 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree M Phil in Public Policy School of Public Management and Administration FACULTY OF ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA Supervisor Professor LPMalan Date of submission November 2017 1 School of Public Management and Administration Declaration Regarding Plagiarism The School of Public Management and Administration emphasises integrity and ethical behaviour with regard to the preparation of all written proposals. Although the lecturer will provide you with information regarding reference techniques, as well as ways to avoid plagiarism, you also have a responsibility to fulfil in this regard. Should you at any time feel unsure about the requirements, you must consult the lecturer concerned before submitting an assignment. You are guilty of plagiarism when you extract information from a book, article, web page or any other information source without acknowledging the source and pretend that it is your own work. This doesn‟t only apply to cases where you quote verbatim, but also when you present someone else‟s work in a somewhat amended (paraphrased) format or when you use someone else‟s arguments or ideas without the necessary acknowledgement. You are also guilty of plagiarism if you copy and paste information directly from an electronic source (e.g., a web site, e-mail message, electronic journal article, or CD ROM), even if you acknowledge the source. You are not allowed to submit another student‟s previous work as your own. You are furthermore not allowed to let anyone copy or use your work with the intention of presenting it as his/her own. Students who are guilty of plagiarism will forfeit all credits for the work concerned. In addition, the matter will be referred to the Committee for Discipline (Students) for a ruling. Plagiarism is considered a serious violation of the University‟s regulations and may lead to your suspension from the University. The University‟s policy regarding plagiarism is available on the Internet at http://upetd.up.ac.za/authors/create/plagiarism/students.htm. For the period that you are a student at the School of Public Management and Administration, the following declaration must accompany all written work that is submitted for evaluation. No written work will be accepted unless the declaration has been completed and is included in the particular proposal. I (full names & MalinopiPhate surname): Student number: 16370211 Declare the following: 1. I understand what plagiarism entails and am aware of the University‟s policy in this regard. 2. I declare that this proposal is my own, original work. Where someone else‟s work was used (whether from a printed source, the Internet or any other source) due acknowledgement was given and reference was made according to departmental requirements. 2 3. I did not copy and paste any information directly from an electronic source (e.g., a web page, electronic journal article or CD ROM) into this document. 4. I did not make use of another student‟s previous work and submitted it as my own. 5. I did not allow and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of presenting it as his/her own work. February 2018 M. Phate Signature Date 3 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my late grandmother, nkhono Mats‟iu Chabeli who inspired and persuaded me since I was a teenager to study hard and further my education to the highest possible level. Her encouraging words still live vividly in my mind. May her soul rest in eternal peace. To my loving dad, ntate Mohlaoli Phate, who persuaded me to further my studies and supported me throughout this study, thank you. I am truly blessed to have a loving and supporting dad. A special dedication is also extended to my mother, mme Mampe, Mamoloiatsana Phate, who also encouraged me to do well in my studies and looked after my daughter whenever I needed help. Words fail to express my gratitude to her. An exceptional dedication is also extended to my „star‟ daughter, Khabiso Shata, who is the primary reason for the hard work I put in my studies. I love her so much that I endeavour to compensate the time I missed with her while focusing on my studies. 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, special praise and honour goes to God, Almighty for bestowing me with the intellectual ability to complete this dissertation. He was with me when I was weak, stressed and depressed because of certain challenges I experienced during the studies. He gave me strength and motivated me to continue with this study and ensure its successful completion. It was He who enabled me to complete this study. “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”, Jeremiah 29:11. My earnest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Professor Lianne Malan for her support and guidance throughout the study. My heartfelt gratitude is extended to her for direction when I did not know what to do; continuous encouragement to persevere and commitment to guide me throughout this journey. Your advice and the time you dedicated to ensure the successful completion of this study is sincerely appreciated. Thank you. I would also like to thank the University of Pretoria for affording me an opportunity to pursue this study. Thank you. My sincere gratitude is also extended to the University‟s staff for mentoring me, always willing to offer assistance and support whenever I needed it. Your guidance and efforts are truly appreciated. It is also with warm thanks that I acknowledge the University of Pretoria for its financial assistance afforded me through the General Master‟s Studentship and Special International Research Award. This financial assistance did not only ensure completion of this study but reduced the probable financial stress and helped me to focus on completing this dissertation successfully. My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the staff at the Department of Passport Services, the respondents who during their extreme work schedules took time to participate in this research. I sincerely appreciate your contribution and support. Last but not least, I am thankful to my friends, family and colleagues who supported me throughout this study, inter alia: Kedibone, Sartjie aka ausi Nkele, Nthabeleng, 5 Mampho, Motlatsi, mme Hape, and ntate Rafono. The list is endless. I am grateful for your endless support. 6 ABSTRACT Public administration is concerned with the implementation of governmental policies to enhance efficient and effective service delivery to the public. Delivery of efficient and effective public services is not only the objective of government but a compulsory endeavour. Therefore, public administration is an indispensable aspect of any government to achieve governmental goals, including the execution of governmental policies and policy implementation. Policy implementation is the process whereby governmental plans, programmes or policies are executed in practice. However, classical public administration, which was primarily paper based, did not only retard delivery of services but in certain instances, impeded the governments‟ role to deliver public services effectively and efficiently. This was evident in the Department of Passport Services in Lesotho prior to 2013 when the process of issuing passports was laissez-faire. Nevertheless, the introduction of Information Communication Technology (ICT) has made it easier for governments to deliver effective and efficient services. The utilisation of ICT does not only enhance efficient and effective public service delivery but regular upgrading of ICT systems and even vigilant migration to the latest ICT developments, which also equally vital in a contemporary, dynamic, and technologically advanced world. Most African countries still lag behind in ICT due to, among other, – lack of technological skills. To improve and align service delivery globally through ICT, African countries should take critical steps towards developing technological policies. This is prevalent in Botswana and Lesotho. Policies, notably the Maitlamo ICT Policy and the ICT Policy for Lesotho were developed that led to the implementation of the e- passport system in Botswana and Lesotho in 2010 and 2013 respectively. The dissertation explains the legal framework that provided a foundation for policy implementation, which led to the implementation of the e-passport system in Botswana and Lesotho. The rationale for the adoption of the e-passport system in Botswana and Lesotho is expounded upon in this dissertation. The benefits and the challenges facing the implementation of the e-passport system in Botswana and Lesotho are elaborated upon and the recommendations which identify the challenges are outlined. A qualitative research approach was adopted and document analysis was utilised as the research 7 instrument to gather data from scholarly articles, government publications, notably the Department of Passport Services and the Department of Citizenship and Immigrations‟ documents, the Lesotho Passports and Travel Documents Act, 2016, (Act of 2016), Maitlamo ICT Policy as well as credible websites. Primary data was also collected through interviews which were conducted at the Department of Passport Services in Lesotho. The study revealed that the benefits of implementing the e-passport system in Lesotho included reduced turnaround time and internal corruption while financial, technological and organisational challenges; poor policy dissemination, lack of political and leadership will, poor infrastructure as well as poor communication between stakeholders were highlighted as further challenges. The suggested recommendations to remedy identified challenges included: engaging initiatives to disseminate the e- passport system policy to e-passport system policy beneficiaries and implementers; approval of the country‟s traditional norms and values; political and leadership will; intergovernmental and inter-organisational relations; enhance infrastructure and monitor the progress of the e-passport system.