Seven accused in fraudulent passport case remanded in custody

The seven suspects arrested in connection with the issuing of fraudulent passports have been remanded in custody after appearing in court on Tuesday.

Philani Mmeli Zaca, 41, Fumani “Guru” Hlayisi,35, Zime Anita Shange, 38, Bongiwe Kubheka, 48, Thandiwe Pretty Khwela, 43, Lungisani Siyanda Mzobe, 32, and Lindokuhle Bongumusa Mpanza, 31, briefly appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes court sitting in the Durban Magistrate’s Court following their arrests by the Pretoria-based Serious Corruption Investigation component of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks).

Five of the suspects were arrested on 14 June in an ongoing operation, one was arrested on Monday, while another handed himself over on Tuesday morning.

They face charges of corruption, fraud, and contraventions of the Identification Act and Immigration Act.

Their case was postponed to Friday for legal aid and a formal bail application.

Complaint from the Department of Home Affairs

Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the operation emanated from a complaint from the Department of Home Affairs, relating to the issuance of fraudulent passports to undocumented foreign nationals between February 2020 and July 2023.

The group allegedly facilitated the fraudulent acquisition of South African passports by foreign nationals at the department’s offices in Durban, specifically the Commercial Street branch.

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“These unlawful activities took place outside of regular business hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, when the Department of Home Affairs offices were officially closed,” Mogale said.

“Preliminary investigations by the [department] confirmed that the criminal activities were indeed conducted on off hours, where the local citizens offered R300 to R1 000 in exchange for their cooperation – especially at offices in Isipingo, Durban Central and Eshowe – resulting in a case being opened for investigation by Serious Corruption Investigation,” Mogale added.

Arrests since 2022

To date, a total of 38 suspects have been arrested in connection with this matter since September 2022.

Seven of them are Home Affairs officials, while 31 are private citizens.

“24 individuals, of whom four are [Home Affairs] officials, have been convicted and sentenced to a combined 310 years’ imprisonment,” Mogale said.

She added that the Hawks are not ruling out the possibility of more suspects being arrested.

More than 800 cases

In May, Home Affairs Deputy Director-General for Counter Corruption and Security Conny Moitse revealed a growing number of cases under investigation by the department.

According to Moitse, at least 805 cases have been investigated over the past three financial years.

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