Undocumented migrants have been purchasing South African birth certificates for as little as R1 000 and passports for up to R45 000 as corruption within the Department of Home Affairs continues to fuel the illicit trade, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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According to News24, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber revealed that 109 corruption cases have been reported to the department’s Counter Corruption and Security Services branch for investigation as syndicate leaders and corrupt officials continue to process illegal documents under the cover of night at centres across South Africa.
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In response to a parliamentary question from EFF MP Yazini Tetyana, Schreiber said a comprehensive strategy has been developed to address the growing fraud and corruption risks within the department.
‘The objectives of the said strategy are to, among others, recommend, advise and assist the department by putting measures in place to improve the application of systems, policies, procedures and regulations to clamp down on fraudulent activities.’
‘Where evidence exists that department officials, as well as immigration officers, have committed acts of misconduct, such cases shall be handled in accordance with the relevant legislative prescripts, departmental disciplinary code and procedures.’
‘The Counter Corruption and Security Services branch has appointed analysts to conduct big data analytics to detect anomalies, which are shared with business to strengthen loopholes and gaps in processes,’ Schreiber said.
Since the current financial year began, 109 fraud and corruption cases have been reported.
These include:
- A Limpopo official who sold a birth certificate to a Zimbabwean for R1 000 was sentenced to 14 years in prison for fraud and corruption by the Giyani Commercial Crimes Court on 19 April 2024.
- An official who processed 192 fraudulent passports in 2021 was sentenced to 12 years in prison by the Durban Commercial Crimes Court on 1 August 2024. A former Home Affairs official recruited the official, who received a 10-year sentence in October 2023.
- A Limpopo official who sold birth certificates to Zimbabweans for R1 000 was sentenced in April 2024 to eight years for corruption and six years for fraud, with the sentences running concurrently.
- A Pakistan national was arrested in a March 2022 sting at the Krugersdorp Home Affairs office and sentenced on 26 June 2024 to eight years in prison for involvement in a passport syndicate and bribing officials with R45 000.
Criminal cases have been opened against 12 officials involved in fraud, including selling birth certificates, aiding foreigners in obtaining documents, and conducting passport photo swaps.
Schreiber added that the corruption branch received a tip-off about foreign nationals acquiring South African passports through photo swaps.
‘Photo swap is the process whereby a South African citizen, with a South African identity number, goes to the home affairs department, together with a foreign national, and applies for a South African passport.’
‘During the process, the South African citizen will allow the official to capture the photo of the foreigner, so that the passport is issued bearing the picture of the foreigner, but the details being of a South African citizen,’ he said.
Schreiber said the syndicate’s kingpin allegedly organised for South African citizens and foreign nationals seeking passports to travel to various countries.
‘The [alleged] kingpin would organise with officials, who had access to open home affairs offices at night, and officials who could access the system during the day. He would travel to different home affairs offices to be assisted with photo swap, accompanied by home affairs officials.’
Schreiber added that Pakistan national Afran Ahmed, the alleged syndicate leader, was arrested with 26 others during a raid at the Krugersdorp Home Affairs Centre in Gauteng last September.
‘The [alleged] kingpin Afran Ahmed [allegedly] charged foreign nationals R45 000 per South African passport.’
‘The passport application data from IT was received and further analysed. South African citizens, officials and foreign nationals were identified for the unlawful processing of fraudulent South African passports at different home affairs offices during the night and day.’
‘The foreign nationals, department officials and South African citizens were arrested at different home affairs offices and in different provinces,’ Schreiber said.
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Picture: Gallo
