Three from home affairs in court for bribe

Source: Dispatch, 06/09/2016

Three officials from the department of home affairs in Queenstown are
facing corruption charges after allegedly taking a bribe from a
Malawian asylum seeker.


The three appeared before the Queenstown Magistrate`s Court yesterday
but the case was postponed due to a lack of legal
representatives.


Three home affairs officials appeared at the East London Court
yesterday on charges of bribery.


They will appear in the same court today in order for their legal
representatives to be present.


Simphiwe Mahala, 37, Mziwamanene Ncapayi, 56, and Pozisa Ntlabati, 35,
were arrested on September 2 through a joint operation between the
serious corruption investigation unit of the Hawks and the police`s
crime intelligence unit.


Eastern Cape Hawks spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni said the state
would allege the three immigration officials arrested the
28-year-old Malawian for being in possession of invalid asylum seeker
documents last month.


"They allegedly released the man the same day in return for a bribe,"
Feni said.


When the trio went back to the Malawian, allegedly to collect an
outstanding balance of the bribe, the Hawks arrested them.


Home Affairs national spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete said the department
fully supported the Hawks and that more arrests were expected.


Tshwete said his department worked closely with the Hawks in an effort
to clean out corruption in the home affairs department.


"We have our own counter-corruption unit that organises sting
operations to swoop on corrupt individuals within our
department."


Tshwete said the unit worked with the Hawks and the police, security
companies and foreign nationals to arrest corrupt individuals.


Last year, Department of Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba launched
operation Bvisa Masina, a Venda phrase which means "throw out the
rot", in an effort to rid the department of corruption.


According to Tshwete, the operation had netted more than 50 corrupt
officials since its launch.


"Our message is clear, we have a zero-tolerance approach to
corruption," he added.


Last week, the Dispatch reported on an elderly East London woman who
was unable to claim her late daughter`s pension fund because the
deceased was illegally "married" to a foreign national.


East London home affairs spokesman Ngenisile Stuurman attributed this
to a syndicate that involved corrupt individuals, including home
affairs officials and foreigners.


Stuurman has since advised single women to check their marital status
at home affairs.