LIMPOPO – A female Beitbridge Port of Entry immigration officer (56) and six illegal immigrants will appear before the Musina Magistrate’s Court today on various charges.

The woman was arrested by members of the Operation Vala Umgodi during a sting operation early on Sunday morning (September 29).

According to the police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, a team conducted an operation focusing on addressing corruption among officials.

“During surveillance, a complainant observed an individual approaching the immigration officer, leading to an exchange of money. Upon investigation, the officer was found in possession of R3 100, which she could not account for, as well as six passports belonging to foreign nationals,” his statement read.

The owners of the passports were traced and located on buses arriving from Malawi, awaiting processing at the border.

“All individuals, aged between 27 and 43, were interviewed and failed to provide satisfactory explanations regarding their passports and the cash found in the officer’s possession. The Limpopo Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit was alerted and both the money and the passports were seized and registered as evidence,” Ledwaba said.

The acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Samuel Manala welcomed the arrests and commended the team’s ongoing efforts to eradicate corruption within law enforcement ranks.