The former Home Affairs employee used her access to the national population register for insurance fraud.
Imagine walking into a Home Affairs branch to apply for a passport for a planned trip, only for the system to flag you as a deceased person.
This scenario might as well describe the dilemma of victims of Dawn Celeste Pieterson, a former Home Affairs employee who was convicted of manipulating the system for her financial benefit.
The Calvinia Magistrate Court convicted 45-year-old Pieterson on Thursday. She was found guilty on all nine counts of fraud, read with the provisions of sections 99, 103, and 224 of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1977, as well as two counts of contravention of Section 31 (1) (d) of the Birth and Death Registration Act 51 of 1992.
According to the Hawks, Pieterson’s shenanigans took place between February 2019 and September 2022 when she was an employee of the Department of Home Affairs based in Calvinia.
ALSO READ: 27 Home Affairs officials dismissed for fraud and corruption since July 2024
As part of her duties, she had access to the national population register.
“Pieterson took funeral covers on unsuspecting victims from reputable insurance companies and nominated herself as a beneficiary. To benefit, she manipulated the national population register by falsely issuing BI-1663 forms (notice of death form) to reflect the fictitious deaths of the victims,” said Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe.
“The system registered the affected persons as deceased, resulting in a plethora of problems in the victims’ day-to-day lives.”
Her case was postponed to 26 January 2026 for the court to decide her fate.
Home Affairs and fraud
Between July 2024 and July 2025, Home Affairs dismissed 38 officials for various offences, including fraud.
At least eight of these have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to 18 years. Criminal prosecution of more officials is underway.
ALSO READ: 31 Home Affairs officials bust, including for smuggling and breaking immigration laws
“I repeat my warning to anyone involved in corruption: the days of defrauding this department, or committing acts of sexual harassment or abuse while relying on long, drawn-out disciplinary processes, are over,” said Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber.
“I would like to thank the diligent officials, including those involved in accelerating disciplinary processes, who are playing a critical role in our work to clean up Home Affairs.”
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