Five Department of Home Affairs officials were arrested by the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation wing of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation over the weekend.
The individuals, from various parts of KwaZulu-Natal, are accused of corruption, fraud, contravention of the Immigration Act and contravention of the Identification Act.
“The execution operation emanates from a complaint from the Department of Home Affairs relating to the issuance of fraudulent passports to undocumented foreign nationals,” said national Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale.
IDENTITY DOCUMENTS ALLEGEDLY FOR SALE AT HOME AFFAIRS
According to Mogale, the crimes took place between February 2020 and July 2023. She said a group of local citizens allegedly sold South African passports to foreign nationals. The price of the fraudulent documents ranged between R300 to R1000.
She said the crimes allegedly took place at the Commercial Street DHA branch, in Durban. Mogale said the Hawks discovered that the alleged culprits were particular on when they committed the various crimes.
“These unlawful activities took place outside of regular business hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, when the DHA offices were officially closed,” she said.
CONTINUOUS CRACKDOWNS ON DHA BRANCHES
A total of 38 individuals have been arrested on similar charges since September 2022. Seven have been DHA officials, while 31 were private citizens said Mogale.
A further 24 individuals have since been convicted and sentenced to a combined sentence of 310 years behind bars. She applauded the Hawks for their successful investigations.
The latest five suspects will appear before the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday, 17 June 2025.
HOW CAN HOME AFFAIRS PERMANENTLY END CORRUPTION IN THEIR OFFICES?
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