8-year battle with Home Affairs over missing `a` results in R4 000 bribe demand

Source: News24, 12/03/2024

A person purporting to be a Home Affairs official asked for a bribe from an applicant seeking to add an `a` on his permanent residency permit.
• Ibrahim Sissoko hired a private immigration consultant to help him with an application to rectify a basic mistake on his permanent residency permit.
• After the consultant sent emails to senior Department of Home Affairs officials about the incident, Sissoko received text messages from a person purporting to be an official.
• The alleged official demanded a bribe to help him with his application.
Ibrahim Sissoko`s eight-year battle to get the Department of Home Affairs to give him an extra `a` in his middle name resulted in a person purporting to be a department official demanding a bribe of R4 000.
Sissoko wanted the misspelling of his middle name rectified - from `Mamdou` to `Mamadou` - on his permanent residency permit.
`Regrettably, despite several visits to the VFS office to track the progress of my application, I have been informed that it remains pending in Pretoria,` he told News24.
This led him to employ the services of a private immigration consultant, Gerard Meder, who sent emails to senior officials at the department on Sissoko`s behalf, asking them to correct this basic mistake.
Around a week after a second email was sent, Sissoko started receiving text messages from a person purporting to be an official, demanding a bribe.
Realising the person was trying to solicit a bribe from him, Sissoko, through Meder, reported the incident to the department`s deputy director of counter corruption and security, advocate Conny Moitse.
In the report to Moitse, Meder, who is the director of Gema Visa Services, included copies of emails and screenshots of the text messages, which painted a picture that there was a connection between the emails sent to the home affairs officials and the demand for a R4 000 bribe.
However, there is no evidence to suggest the senior officials are linked to the text messages Sissoko received.
Meder emailed the acting chief director of the permitting chief directorate, Nischal Jaynarayan, on 19 February 2024.
In the email, Meder detailed Sissoko`s struggle to have the recertification application processed.
No response was received, which prompted Meder to send a follow-up email on 26 February. This also went unanswered.
On 1 March, Meder emailed the acting deputy director-general, Modiri Matthews, asking for intervention in Sissoko`s matter.
Bribe
On the same day, Sissoko received an SMS from an unknown number, from someone purporting to be Ms Mooula.
The message read:
Dear I Sissoko, I have received your application for Permanent Residant [sic] at home affair [sic] through VFS. It will be ready for collection soon.
Two hours later, Sissoko received another SMS from the same number, ordering him to pay R4 000 for the application.
He was instructed to route the cash via a payment service to a phone number and not a bank account.
Thinking it might be a scam, Sissoko responded, asking for banking details instead.
`I asked for the banking details so it would be possible for the police to know where it is coming from,` Sissoko told News24.
On 5 March, he received another SMS stating nothing would be done about his application until he made a payment.
Sissoko continued to ask for banking details.
`I insisted on the banking details, but the person refused, which was a clearer indication he was trying to gain some money from my issue.`
Sissoko received more messages last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, which he ignored.
News24 called the number several times on Friday. The first call went unanswered. The rest of the calls went to voicemail.
Complaint to counter corruption
In the incident report, Meder said what was particularly alarming was the timing of the SMSes, which occurred shortly after their communication with the department`s senior leadership.
`Considering these circumstances, Mr Sissoko is deeply concerned about the potential implications of corruption within your system,` he added.
`He firmly believes that such actions undermine the integrity of the immigration process and is committed to cooperating fully with any investigations conducted by the counter-corruption unit.
`We trust that the relevant authorities will take appropriate action to address this matter swiftly and effectively.`
Meanwhile, Sissoko told News24 the only conclusion he could reach was somehow the person who demanded money from him had insight into the three emails Meder sent to the department`s officials.
The department failed to respond to questions sent to it on Friday morning. Its response will be added if it is received.
Similar incident
Last week, News24 reported on a similar case where a British man was contacted by a person purporting to be a department official, who demanded a R60 000 bribe to expedite his pending retirement visa application.
The alleged official contacted Chris Campbell following an email he sent to a secretary in the home affairs minister`s office, enquiring about the visa application.
He reported the incident to the police and provided them with an affidavit and copies of emails and WhatsApp conversations.
Campbell received emails from an official department email account and later phone calls and WhatsApp messages from a person who identified himself as the official who had sent the emails.
The person demanded that Campbell pay R60 000 into a Capitec bank account so he and his wife could receive their visas.
The department told News24 the official`s email account had been hacked and the incident was reported to its IT department.
In addition, the official said, she had never dealt with Campbell, and the department added the official did not have access to the visa adjudication system, and her job description and mandate had nothing to do with issuing visas.