Home Affairs officials arrested for selling IDs, passports
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says his department is working closely with the Special Investigating Unit to arrest officials selling identity documents and passports.
Schreiber says they include a Pakistan national who facilitated the sale of passports for R45,000.
Over 100 cases have been reported.
In addition, Schreiber says undocumented migrants bought South African birth certificates for as little as R1 000.
"The reason we know about cases like these is because the department is working closely with the Special Investigating Unit to put these criminals behind bars.
"Seven officials involved in so-called photo swopping – where a document is vandalised to show the face of a different person from the rightful owner – have recently been sentenced to 80 years in prison, with more convictions on the way, and 109 more cases under investigation."
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He says the department is committed to combat fraud and corruption, highlighting the need for stronger measures to prevent such illegal activities.
"Despite this progress, the reality is that the current manual system makes it hard for honest applicants to be served effectively while opening too many side doors for dishonesty. It is a system that leaves too much room for people to disincentivise honest interaction and incentivise dishonesty.
“In the simplest example, an official can simply pick up a paper file and put it under their desk, demanding a bribe in exchange for processing the application. This is only possible because that file is paper-based and subject to human interference."
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