PS MASILELA, CHIEF IMMIGRATION OFFICER MUST BE REMOVED FROM HOME AFFAIRS

Source: Swazi Observer, 14/11/2017

Home Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Anthony Masilela and Acting
Chief Immigration Officer Makhosi Simelane should be transferred from
the ministry of home affairs.
This was said in the House of Assembly when Zombodze Emuva MP Titus
Thwala moved that the House adopt the report of the select committee
investigating the influx of illegal immigrants, particularly of Asian
origin.
Thwala, who is the chairman of the committee, was seconded by
Mtfongwaneni MP Mjuluko Dlamini.
The House of Assembly recommended that the investigations should not
happen while the two officers were still in office. The MPs also
recommended that Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Edgar
Hillary should be given the report of the Asian committee so that he
gives it to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to further
investigate it further.
In the meantime, illegal Asians in the country should be investigated
by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The intention would be to
deport all illegal Asians to their original countries. The
investigations by the ACC should date back 20 years ago. The committee
was also advised by the citizenship board that nothing would happen
while Masilela and Simelane were still at Home Affairs. The MPs
acknowledged that the ACC was independent and was not answerable to
Parliament.
They would not directly instruct the ACC to investigate the matter,
but would only call the justice ministry to account after six months.
‘Illegal Asians pay E45 000 for passports’
Illegal Asians were made to pay E45 000 to get passports for them to
easily go to the developed world.
This was said by Zombodze Emuva MP Titus Thwala, when motivating MPs
to adopt the report. He stated that Asians were made to pay E45 000
for Swazi documents like visas, permits, and passports.
Thwala submitted that passports were given at such huge amounts
because they were in demand by the Asians.
The Asians found difficulties in travelling to the developed world
like Europe and America when using their Asian travel documents.
They had to get Swazi travel documents so that they could easily
travel to the developed world.
Masterminds
The Zombodze Emuva legislator mentioned that in their report,
Principal Secretary Anthony Masilela and Acting Chief Immigration
Officer Makhosi Simelane were the masterminds of the alleged mess at
Home Affairs. The E45 000 was allegedly paid to them.
During the investigations, the committee was once furnished with a
document that had a list of 19 Asians that are said to have applied
for the Swazi passports. However, the committee found that only one of
the 19 Asians had made the application and the other 18 had not.
But they were all given the passports.
Paid
The Asians are said to have all allegedly paid the E45 000 to the two
officers.
This means the officials could have made E855 000 from this incident
alone.
Thwala said the two officials could not have been alone when doing this.
They could have also used some of the staff members to do their
shenanigans but they were the masters of the now stinking situation in
the ministry.
Masilela is also blamed for forcing drivers and other workers in the
ministry to pay bribes.
The workers would pay the bribes because the PS would have recommended
them to go on external trips in neighbouring countries. The workers
would be made to pay E1 000 bribes to the principal secretary because
they would have been given allowances for their external trips.
Thwala said that was the reason why they were made to recommend that
both Masilela and Simelane be transferred from home affairs.