Two former Home Affairs employees arrested for fraudulently issuing passports

The Department of Home Affairs has welcomed the arrest of two former officials linked to a syndicate that fraudulently issued South African passports to foreign nationals for up to R100 000 each.

The officials allegedly exploited weaknesses in an outdated manual process to issue passports through a loophole known as “photo swapping”. 

This involved using the identity details of legitimate South African citizens to obtain passports bearing photographs of foreign nationals.

The arrests follow a joint investigation by the department’s Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks, which uncovered the syndicate in 2022.

“This case is a powerful example of why we are digitally transforming Home Affairs. Under the department’s ongoing digital reforms, biometric verification now links applicants to their identities throughout the application process, including when photographs are captured. This closes the loophole that previously enabled criminals to substitute a foreign national’s photograph for that of a South African citizen.

“The same approach underpins the department’s Digital Partnership with banks, which is expanding access to Smart ID Cards through secure, digitally integrated processes,” Home Affairs said.

Home Affairs said that, by automating identity verification and reducing human discretion, it is systematically removing opportunities for corruption across its systems.

Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber said that, for years, outdated manual processes had created loopholes that criminal syndicates could exploit to fraudulently obtain South African passports.

“Through our digital transformation, we are closing these loopholes by introducing secure biometric verification and automated systems that remove opportunities for human manipulation.

“Our reforms are not simply about making Home Affairs faster and more convenient. They are about fundamentally changing how the department operates so that fraud and corruption are prevented by design, rather than detected only after the damage has been done,” the Minister said.

Since the start of the seventh administration, 98 Home Affairs officials have been dismissed and 42 have been arrested as part of the department’s sustained crackdown on corruption.

Schreiber commended the department’s Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks for their continued efforts to root out corruption. – SAnews.gov.za

3