A Krugersdorp officer arrested for allegedly being in possession of 24 illegally endorsed passports of foreign nationals was granted bail in the Mbabane Magistrates’ Court.
The Swazi Observer reports that Philimon Kekana was granted bail on 16 May by Principal Magistrate Nondumiso Simelane after a two-week fierce court battle between the Crown and the defence team. She ordered that he pay 5 000 Swazi Lilangeni, which amounts to R5 000 cash.
Kekana was arrested at the Ngwenya Border gate on Good Friday. He is suspected to have, for financial and material gain, colluded with other people who were sought by the police by using fraudulent Swaziland immigration stamps on foreign nationals’ passports claiming they entered the country through that border gate. He is alleged to have caused the foreigners to have fraudulently stamped documents.
Kekana is a customs officer employed by the South African government under the Ministry of Home Affairs. He is based at the Oshoek Border gate and lives there.
When police saw him with the documents, they allegedly ran after him to the house of one Mzikayifani Masango where he was found, arrested and charged with 26 offences.
He is facing 24 counts for allegedly contravening Section 19 of the People Trafficking and People Smuggling (Prohibition) Act 7 of 2009.
The 24 passports allegedly found in his possession bore names of foreign nationals from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Botswana, Malawi and Ghana, and had endorsements that were issued without lawful authority. The passports were stamped with the Swaziland Immigration Department Ngwenya stamps that no longer are used officially since they have been phased out.
He also is alleged to be using three passports of various nationalities.
Kekana was advised to appear in court on Thursday for his remand. The Principal Magistrate advised him not to commit a similar offence whilst out on bail. He also was warned to report at the Ngwenya Police Post every Friday between 8am and 4pm.
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