Home Affairs staff warning

The Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA’s) crackdown on corrupt officials has resulted in six more individuals being fired for acts of fraud and corruption.

Minister Leon Schreiber has warned that his department and partner authorities will not rest until every last corrupt official has been dismissed, adding that it’s only a matter of time before they’re caught.

“Home Affairs has fired another six officials for various acts of fraud and corruption, bringing the total dismissals since July 2024 to 33,” Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber said in a post on Twitter/X.

“Eight convictions have been secured with prison sentences between four and 18 years, with another 19 prosecutions underway. Cleaning up!”

In a statement, the DHA said six other individuals were issued final written warnings.

“A further eight officials have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to 18 years, while criminal prosecution of another 19 officials is underway,” it said.

The minister said that the speed at which Home Affairs, in collaboration with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), is rooting out corruption demonstrates that swift progress can be made in fighting fraudsters.

“I have made it clear to the department that delays will not be tolerated and that we will not rest until every last corrupt official has been fired,” added Schreiber.

The minister applauded the interdepartmental teams for their progress in rooting out corruption at Home Affairs.

“My message to remaining perpetrators is clear: it is only a matter of time before we catch you and hold you accountable,” he said.

The DHA revealed that it had finalised disciplinary proceedings for 31 employees in late 2024. The proceedings took place between July and September 2024, some of which resulted in criminal prosecution and dismissal.

It said officials faced charges for violating the Citizen and Immigration Acts and irregularly recruiting new staff, with eight cases out of the Free State and six out of KwaZulu-Natal.

“We have zero tolerance for unethical conduct or corruption,” said Schreiber.

“As our accelerated action against errant conduct demonstrates, officials who fail to heed this message will soon find themselves out of Home Affairs and on their way to prison.”

One such official, Mogale Raseone, faced fraud charges after being dismissed from the department in 2023 for using department systems to administer immigration for foreign nationals fraudulently.

The DHA’s Counter-Corruption Branch implicated him in various fraudulent transactions, primarily benefitting Pakistani nationals.

The disciplinary actions followed the successful conviction of two former DHA officials — Judy Zuma and Tony Stout — both of whom were arrested for identity documentation fraud.

Schreiber welcomed Zuma’s sentencing in early August 2024. The former official was involved in a syndicate that produced fraudulent passports for foreigners who didn’t qualify for them.

She was paid R4,000 per passport, and her arrest came through a sting operation during which she tried to bribe a DHA Counter-Corruption officer with R10,000.

She reportedly processed 192 passports between 28 May and 12 June 2021. The judge who heard her case sentenced Zuma to 12 years in prison.

A week later, Stout was sentenced to five years in prison after being charged with nine counts of fraud and nine counts of breaching the Identification Act.

“He has already been dismissed from the department. He committed his crimes while he was stationed at the Cleary Park office in Gqeberha,” said Schreiber.

According to the minister, these kinds of fraudulent activity highlight the need to transform the DHA digitally.

“Digital transformation holds the key to uprooting corruption in our systems while enhancing the efficiency of service delivery,” he said.

The minister previously said that the DHA’s processes required a lot of human intervention, which allowed officials to commit fraud. He wants to digitise and fully automate the DHA’s processes.