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The South African
18-06-2025
- The South African
Home Affairs scandal: Seven arrested amid backlog issues
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has landed in hot water following investigations. The Serious Corruption Investigation component of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation arrested two more suspects. Authorities arrested seven people during an ongoing operation in KwaZulu-Natal. The matter is regarding issuing fraudulent passports to undocumented foreign nationals. The DHA is allegedly involved in corruption, fraud, and contraventions of the Identification Act and Immigration Act. Police spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, said preliminary investigations found citizens offered the DHA employees between R300 to R1000 in exchange for the unlawful services. He said the unlawful activities happened when the offices were closed. The crimes were prevalent at Home Affairs offices in Isipingo, Durban Central and Eshowe. The Serious Corruption Investigation is probing the matter. Meanwhile, seven of the accused appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes court. Philani Mmeli Zaca, Fumani 'Guru' Hlayisi, Zime Anita Shange, Bongiwe Kubheka, Thandiwe Pretty Khwela, Lungisani Siyanda Mzobe, and Lindokuhle Bongumusa Mpanza made their appearance. The court postponed the case to Friday, 20 June, for legal aid and a formal bail application. The court also remanded the accused in custody. National Prosecuting Authority Regional Spokesperson for KZN Natasha Ramkisson-Kara says the accused face numerous charges. They face charges of fraud, Contraventions of the Identification Act, 68 of 1997, diverse Contraventions of the Immigration Act, 13 of 2002 (as amended), and Corruption (accepting gratification). The arrests follow allegations that at least a quarter of a million people are still waiting Home Affairs to process their late birth registration applications. The Children's Institute has filed a court application with the Western Cape High Court. This seeks to compel the DHA to act on the backlog. The institute says the Home Affairs Department has affected the fundamental rights of children and their parents, and caregivers. As a result, it wants the court to order the DHA to develop a clear plan to deal with the backlog. HOW CAN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS RESTORE PUBLIC TRUST? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
The Citizen
17-06-2025
- The Citizen
Seven accused in fraudulent passport case remanded in custody
The suspects face charges of corruption, fraud, and contraventions of the Identification Act and Immigration Act. The seven suspects arrested in connection with the issuing of fraudulent passports have been remanded in custody after appearing in court on Tuesday. Philani Mmeli Zaca, 41, Fumani 'Guru' Hlayisi,35, Zime Anita Shange, 38, Bongiwe Kubheka, 48, Thandiwe Pretty Khwela, 43, Lungisani Siyanda Mzobe, 32, and Lindokuhle Bongumusa Mpanza, 31, briefly appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes court sitting in the Durban Magistrate's Court following their arrests by the Pretoria-based Serious Corruption Investigation component of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks). Five of the suspects were arrested on 14 June in an ongoing operation, one was arrested on Monday, while another handed himself over on Tuesday morning. They face charges of corruption, fraud, and contraventions of the Identification Act and Immigration Act. Their case was postponed to Friday for legal aid and a formal bail application. Complaint from the Department of Home Affairs Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the operation emanated from a complaint from the Department of Home Affairs, relating to the issuance of fraudulent passports to undocumented foreign nationals between February 2020 and July 2023. The group allegedly facilitated the fraudulent acquisition of South African passports by foreign nationals at the department's offices in Durban, specifically the Commercial Street branch. ALSO READ: EFF calls for treason charges against corrupt Home Affairs officials 'These unlawful activities took place outside of regular business hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, when the Department of Home Affairs offices were officially closed,' Mogale said. 'Preliminary investigations by the [department] confirmed that the criminal activities were indeed conducted on off hours, where the local citizens offered R300 to R1 000 in exchange for their cooperation – especially at offices in Isipingo, Durban Central and Eshowe – resulting in a case being opened for investigation by Serious Corruption Investigation,' Mogale added. Arrests since 2022 To date, a total of 38 suspects have been arrested in connection with this matter since September 2022. Seven of them are Home Affairs officials, while 31 are private citizens. '24 individuals, of whom four are [Home Affairs] officials, have been convicted and sentenced to a combined 310 years' imprisonment,' Mogale said. She added that the Hawks are not ruling out the possibility of more suspects being arrested. More than 800 cases In May, Home Affairs Deputy Director-General for Counter Corruption and Security Conny Moitse revealed a growing number of cases under investigation by the department. According to Moitse, at least 805 cases have been investigated over the past three financial years. NOW READ: Home Affairs launches Operation New Broom to tackle illegal immigration
