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Hawks raid home affairs offices across SA amid corruption tip-off

Source: The Citizen, 17/05/2024




The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is investigating corruption between home affairs officals and foreign nationals
The Hawks and Special Investigating Unit (SIU) raided several home affairs offices across the country on Friday as part of investigations into alleged maladministration and corruption.
Minister Aaron Motsoaledi was part of an operation at an office in Pretoria and told eNCA that similar raids were taking place in other locations after information received by a whistleblower.
“The corruption is done by officials here and foreign nationals who don’t deserve to be in South Africa but have lots of money to bribe,” he said.
News24 reported more than 60 home affairs officials have been identified as suspects in the investigation, with the SIU saying those implicated reached across several tiers of the department.
It said it had got a court order to seize documents as evidence because they were told they may be destroyed.
Watch Motsoaledi speak about the raids
A Home Affairs official based in Malamulele, Limpopo, was sentenced to eight and six years in prison for fraud and corruption last month.
Amos Ngwenyama was arrested following a joint investigation by the Home Affairs Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks in Limpopo in 2023 for issuing birth certificates to “undeserving” foreigners in exchange for money.
A few weeks earlier the Anti-Corruption Unit caught another official from the department’s Upington office for allegedly selling illegal ID documents to foreigners.
The 37-year-old woman was caught following a tip-off.
SIU probes Home Affairs
President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a proclamation authorising the SIU to investigate alleged maladministration at home affairs.
“Proclamation 154 of 2024 empowers the SIU to probe serious maladministration in connection with the affairs of Home Affairs relating to the issuance of permanent residence permits; corporate visas; business visas; critical/exceptional skills work visas; study visas; retired persons’ visas; work visas; and citizenship by naturalisation, contrary to the Immigration Act, 2002; the South African Citizenship Act, 1995; manuals, guidelines, circulars, practice notes or instructions applicable to Home Affairs; or manuals, policies, procedures, prescripts, instructions or practices of or applicable to the department,” the unit said.


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