Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has revealed that his ministry had between July last year and February this year fired 27 officials on corruption and fraud-related charges committee inland and at ports of entry as the fight against corruption gathers momentum.
A few weeks ago the Management Authority working together with the specialised police, the Hawks arrested two immigration officers at the country’s border with Zimbabwe on allegations of corruption and fraud involving the illegal processing of six Malawians passports.
Their arrest follows an ongoing investigation linked to the case of Immigration Specialist Ms Dorah Ncube, who was arrested last year for fraud and corruption related to the illegally processing of six Malawian nationals at Beitbridge. Ms Ncube remains in police custody.
Minister Schreiber made the remarks while launching the Border and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum.
The Minister said a major anti-corruption crackdown is underway to clean up Home Affairs and Border Management
“Collectively, the Special Investigating Unit, the Department of Home Affairs, the Border Management Authority, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation and the National Prosecuting Authority are enforcing accountability in the border and immigration environment,” said Minister Schreiber.
“In recent months, we have seen some of the most decisive action taken to date against corruption in our country, including through the important work done by the technical experts on the Multi-Disciplinary Task Team to implement the recommendations contained in the Lubisi report.
“Between July 2024 and February 2025, 27 officials have been dismissed from the Department of Home Affairs for a range of offences including fraud, corruption and sexual misconduct. We announced 18 of these dismissals in November last year and, since then, another nine officials have been dismissed. Once appeals that are currently ongoing are completed, this number is likely to increase further still”.
He said the Department of Home Affairs was also concluding the appointment of a permanent Deputy Director-General for Human Resources, who is expected to further intensify the quest to rid Home Affairs of bad apples.
Through collaboration with other law enforcement partners, he said, eight officials have already been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to 18 years, while criminal prosecution of another 19 officials is underway.
The Minister said in one notable case, a Pakistani National, Afran Ahmed, who charged foreign immigrants R45,000 per South African passport, was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment in the Krugersdorp magistrate Court, Gauteng.
“At the BMA over the same period, 10 officials have been dismissed for corruption, and one for aiding and abetting,” said Minister Schreiber.
“Another 45 BMA cases are at various stages in the disciplinary process and could also result in further dismissals. Just as important as the dismissals and prosecutions themselves, is the pace at which they are taking place.
“In this regard, I want to warmly congratulate the Multi-Disciplinary Task Team for achieving a major legal breakthrough in the Labour Court. It was in one of our cases, that a new precedent was set that allows the appointment of external chairpersons for disciplinary hearings, changing the interpretation of collective agreements in place since 2001 and enabling more impartial disciplinary processes across the whole of government”.
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Online Reporter