Five arrested in Durban for providing foreigners with fraudulent passports

Five people have been arrested in Durban by the Serious Corruption Investigation on Saturday in connection with the issuing of fake passports.

They are facing charges of corruption, fraud, contravention of the Immigration Act, and contravention of the Identification Act.

The arrests stem from a complaint from the Department of Home Affairs relating to the issuance of fraudulent passports to undocumented foreign nationals.

Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Colonel Katlego Mogale stated that several arrest warrants have been secured and are being executed in relation to the complaint.

Fraudulent passports

She stated that the offences occurred between February 2020 and July 2023. “A group of South African citizens allegedly facilitated the fraudulent acquisition of South African passports by foreign nationals at DHA offices in Durban, specifically the Commercial Street branch.”

These unlawful activities occurred outside regular business hours, including evenings, weekends, and public holidays, when the Department of Home Affairs offices were officially closed.

“Preliminary investigations by the Department of Home Affairs confirmed that the criminal activities were indeed conducted off-hours, where local citizens offered R300 to R1,000 in exchange for their cooperation, especially at Department of Home Affairs offices in Isipingo, Durban Central, and Eshowe, resulting in a case being opened for investigation by the Serious Corruption Investigation.”

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How many are involved in passport scheme

Mogale added that they have arrested 38 people between September 2022 to date. Out of the 38, seven are department officials, and 31 are private citizens.

24 individuals have been convicted and sentenced to a combined term of 310 years’ imprisonment, of which four are department officials.

The five people arrested on Saturday are scheduled to appear before the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday.

“The DPCI is not ruling out the possibility of more suspects being arrested.”

EFF calls for treason charges

The EFF has previously called for Home Affairs officials implicated in corruption to be charged with treason.

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs received briefings on several issues, including the Legal Aid Board’s criteria for representing undocumented foreign nationals and a collaborative effort between Home Affairs and the Department of Social Development to support undocumented foreign minors.

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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