The South African Home Affairs department is facing a serious crisis, with officials allegedly selling birth certificates and passports to undocumented migrants for a hefty price.
This revelation, revealed in a parliamentary question by the EFF’s Yazini Tetyana, paints a bleak picture of corruption within the department, with officials brazenly facilitating the illegal acquisition of South African documentation.
According to Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, a staggering 109 corruption cases have been reported to the department’s Counter Corruption and Security Services branch since the beginning of the current financial year.
These cases range from officials issuing birth certificates to undeserving foreign nationals for a mere R1 000, to elaborate passport scams involving “photo swaps” where foreign nationals pay up to R45 000 for a South African passport.
Another official, part of a syndicate, processed 192 passports through photo swaps in 2021 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. This syndicate was led by a former Home Affairs official who was also sentenced to 10 years in prison.
These cases highlight the extent of the problem, with officials operating at night in Home Affairs centres across the country, facilitating the illegal acquisition of documents.
The department has acknowledged the issue and has developed a strategy to combat fraud and corruption risks. This strategy includes appointing analysts to conduct big data analytics to detect anomalies and strengthening loopholes in processes.
However, the scale of the problem is alarming. Schreiber revealed that a whistleblower alerted the department to a syndicate that was using “photo swaps” to issue South African passports to foreign nationals.
This involves a South African citizen, with a valid identity number, allowing a foreign national to use their details to apply for a passport. The official then captures the foreign national’s photograph, ensuring the passport is issued with their image but using the South African citizen’s details.
The syndicate, allegedly led by a Pakistani national named Afran Ahmed, operated with a network of officials who had access to Home Affairs offices at night and during the day. Ahmed allegedly charged foreign nationals R45 000 per passport.
In September last year, Ahmed and 26 others were arrested during an operation at the Krugersdorp Home Affairs centre in Gauteng.
Minister Schreiber has stated that the department is taking these cases seriously and will handle them according to relevant legislation and disciplinary procedures.
The department has also launched a crackdown on corruption, with officials being arrested and facing criminal charges for their involvement in these fraudulent activities.
