Home Affairs dismisses five more officials amid corruption and misconduct crackdown
The Department of Home Affairs has dismissed five officials with immediate effect for serious offences, including fraud and sexual assault, as part of its continued internal clean-up campaign.
The total number of officials dismissed between July 2024 and July 2025 now stands at 38.
In a statement issued on July 30, the department confirmed that eight of those dismissed have already been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to 18 years. Meanwhile, 19 additional officials are facing criminal prosecution.
ALSO READ: Home Affairs unveils international service hubs for faster passport processing
These latest disciplinary actions follow last month's breakthrough in Durban, where two department officials and three members of the public were arrested in connection with a fraudulent passport syndicate.
'These results demonstrate the growing success of Home Affairs in dealing with criminal syndicates both inside and outside the department,' the statement read.
Zero tolerance for corruption and abuse
Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber reaffirmed the department's zero-tolerance approach to misconduct, warning that those involved in corruption or abuse would no longer be shielded by bureaucratic delays.
'In just 12 months, we have already rid Home Affairs of 38 crooked and delinquent officials,' Schreiber said.
'I repeat my warning to anyone involved in corruption: the days of defrauding this department or committing acts of sexual harassment or abuse while relying on long, drawn-out disciplinary processes are over.'
ALSO READ: Home Affairs extends weekday hours to help learners collect Smart IDs and passports
The minister also praised committed staff members who have supported and accelerated internal disciplinary processes.
'These diligent officials are helping to shape the future of Home Affairs. As #TeamHomeAffairs, we are working together to root out corruption and restore public trust,' he said.
The department's continued efforts are part of a broader strategy to professionalise public service delivery and strengthen internal accountability mechanisms.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
8 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
After 36 years as a stateless person, Primrose Modisane is finally a South African
After 36 years as a stateless person, Primrose Modisane finally collected her South African birth certificate from the Department of Home Affairs, ending a 17-year fight for justice and personhood. Opening a bank account, accessing public healthcare or having your name on your children's birth certificate are everyday, mundane things that millions of South Africans take for granted. However, for Primrose Modisane, these simple formalities were impossible for 17 years because the Department of Home Affairs did not recognise her as a South African citizen. Years of trekking to Home Affairs' offices in Germiston, a documentary about her struggles living as a stateless person, multiple DNA tests, an address to Parliament's home affairs committee and even a court order from the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria in April, compelling Home Affairs to recognise her as a citizen, did not help. Modisane remained stateless. That was until the Home Affairs called Modisane's employer, Sophia Welz, on Monday, 4 August to inform her that the birth certificate was ready for collection, more than four months after the court ordered the department to register her citizenship, her birth, and to issue her birth certificate and identity document within 30 days. 'When we got the call, Prim just fell to the ground; she could not believe it was finally happening. She just collapsed,' Welz told Daily Maverick on Tuesday, 5 August. Modisane discovered that she was undocumented in 2008, when she was in Grade 11 and had applied for her ID to write her matric exams. While she was born in Zimbabwe when her mother moved there from South Africa, her birth was never registered. After moving back to South Africa with her parents in 1998 to live with her grandmother in Vosloorus, her birth was still not registered because of a legal technicality that required a person to be registered in the place of their birth. A moment of recognition Daily Maverick was at Home Affairs' Germiston office on Tuesday and watched as an official handed Modisane her official birth certificate. Surrounded by her family, Welz and her supporters, Modisane held on to the document and smiled from ear to ear, overjoyed that she had finally been recognised as a South African citizen. 'I have got my birth certificate. I can see my name is on it and my surname like this, is my paper that I am holding in my hand,' Modisane told Daily Maverick, giggling with glee. 'It will take time for me to believe that this is really happening today.' Modisane said the first thing she would do, now that she had been recognised as a South African citizen, would be to open a bank account, have her name added to her children's birth certificates and register her youngest child for school.'Then I will go to my mother's grave and tell her that this suffering is finally over,' she said. Welz, who has fought alongside Modisane for several years, said that she, her family and her father, former Constitutional Court Justice Johann Kriegler, were grateful that the first step had been taken to give Modisane the dignity and opportunity she deserved. 'Just seeing the smile on her gogo's face was more than we can say. Now is a chance to put her life together, to go and get her bank account, to go and get on her first flight, to get her driver's licence, to vote. There are so many opportunities now. This means everything,' Welz said. Daily Maverick spoke to Modisane's grandmother, Barbara Modisane, as she waited for her granddaughter to collect her birth certificate. Speaking in Setswana, Barbara said, 'I am content, I am at peace. We have been fighting this battle for so long, and now we can finally rest.' Justice delayed Going to Home Affairs' offices in Germiston was not the original plan. After waiting for more than four months for Home Affairs to comply with the court order, Modisane and her supporters planned to hold a media conference to shed light on her struggles. Daily Maverick visited Modisane, Welz and Justice Kriegler at their home in the heart of Johannesburg on Monday as they prepared for the media conference where she was to share her years of 'struggle, humiliation and denial of basic rights, including healthcare, education, and financial freedom'. During the interview, Modisane detailed how her mother, who was also an undocumented South African citizen, died from cancer because she was denied medical care, a result of her being undocumented. Modisane shared how she struggled to register her two children's birth because she was not recognised as a citizen, and how she could not finish school because of her documentation status. 'I don't know what I would have done if I were allowed to finish matric, but I know I would have furthered my studies. I was bright in school, but I wasn't given the opportunity to see how far I could go in life,' Modisane said. Justice Kriegler, one of the first judges appointed to the Constitutional Court, said that it was a miscarriage of justice that Home Affairs failed to comply with the order in the time frame stipulated by the court. 'I had assured this young woman that the law would see her right, and I had faith in the law. I lived the law my whole life. To realise that the Department of Home Affairs did not listen to the court left me profoundly disappointed and disenchanted.' Mere hours after the interview, Home Affairs called to say her birth certificate was ready. Even now that Home Affairs has finally complied with the order, Justice Kriegler cannot help but feel disappointment. 'This should never have taken this long. It should not take a court order and the threat of a media briefing for a South African citizen to be acknowledged in her own country. While we celebrate this development, we must also reflect on the many other individuals who remain stateless and unheard, and recommit to ensuring that no one else is forced to fight this hard for something that should be automatic and just,' he said in a subsequent media release. Responding to Daily Maverick's inquiry into why it took the department four months to comply with the court order, Thulani Mavuso, spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs and Deputy Director-General of Operations, said: 'Registration of the birth of the applicant was concluded after the period stipulated by the court because of legal consultations the Department had to undertake in light of the lack of documentation required for foreign births, as per Regulations on the South African Citizenship Act, 1995, as amended. Before the court judgment, the applicant had submitted an application for foreign birth without the required full birth certificate, verified by the country of origin (Zimbabwe).' Statelessness remains a prevalent and under-recognised problem in South Africa. There is no dedicated mechanism for identifying statelessness and no official statistics for statelessness exist. It has been estimated that at least 10,000 people in South Africa are stateless. Thandeka Chauke, a statelessness expert for Catalyst for Change, said that women were disproportionately affected, which resulted in intergenerational cycles of legal invisibility. 'In Primrose's family, four generations have been impacted. It's a stark reminder of how bureaucratic inertia can hollow out the promise of constitutional rights. That she received her first identity document only at the age of 36, and only after relentless advocacy, a parliamentary briefing and a court order, is unconscionable,' Chauke said 'As we mark Women's Month and reflect on the legacy of the march against apartheid pass laws, we are reminded that documentation is not just about legal formality; it is a gateway to dignity and belonging 'South Africa's legal framework is strong, and the Department of Home Affairs has shown its willingness to act in complex cases. Continued investment in training, sensitisation and implementation can help ensure that many others in similar situations are assisted more swiftly and compassionately,' she said. DM
The Star
15 hours ago
- The Star
Over 300 suspects arrested in SAPS's Operation Shanela in Tshwane
Rapula Moatshe | Published 2 days ago The police's Operation Shanela, a high-intensity crime-fighting initiative, conducted a raid in Atteridgeville township, Tshwane, on Saturday, leading to the arrest of over 300 suspects for various crimes. Captain Johan van Dyk, Tshwane SAPS district spokesperson, said police arrested 356 suspects and recovered a stolen vehicle during a crime operation. The operation, part of the police's zero-tolerance approach to crime, brought together a multidisciplinary team of SAPS, Department of Home Affairs, Tshwane metro police, Gauteng traffic police, and community safety officials. Van Dyk said the operation aimed to boost police visibility and restore order, targeting the Atteridgeville policing precinct and its surrounding areas. 'The joint efforts of this team yielded significant results, with 356 suspects arrested for various criminal offenses. This outcome is a direct reflection of thorough planning, targeted deployments, and sustained visibility intended to suppress crime and track wanted suspects in identified areas,' he said. He reported that Tshwane district detectives initiated the operation's first phase, arresting 260 suspects. The arrests included 65 for gender-based violence, three for murder, three for attempted murder, six for armed robbery, one for perjury, three for possessing unlicensed firearms, and six for rape. During the operation's second phase, uniformed members conducted a roadblock in the precinct, supported by two operational teams. This, Van Dyk said, resulted in the detention of 34 undocumented foreign nationals, who are now being processed by immigration authorities for court appearances and potential deportation. Additionally, one person was fined for employing illegal immigrants. A total of 1,240 individuals and 518 vehicles were searched during the operation and three vehicles were verified to determine if they were stolen. 'This resulted in the recovery of a stolen motor vehicle that was reported stolen earlier at Pretoria Central SAPS. Thirty-seven persons were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. At least 60 Aarto infringement notices were issued, amounting to R30,000 and one vehicle being discontinued due to non-compliance with the Road Traffic Act,' Van Dyk said. He added that police conducted targeted patrols and searches at 25 identified crime hotspots, disrupting criminal activity. The operation resulted in the arrest of nine people for public drinking and two individuals for dealing and possessing drugs, with 417 ziplock bags of various drugs and an undisclosed amount of cash seized. Additionally, authorities inspected 32 liquor outlets, closing 11 for non-compliance and seizing liquor and two gambling machines. Tshwane district Commissioner Major-General Samuel Thine thanked all stakeholders for their support and collaboration, assuring the public that similar operations will continue across the district. [email protected]
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
‘We know it's wrong, but they're trying to make a living,' say families of arrested illegal miners
Their case was postponed. Angry Barberton community members have called for the release of the alleged illegal miners who were arrested at the Sheba Mine shaft on Friday. At least 1 000 alleged illegal miners were arrested during Operation Vala Umgodi, which disrupted the illegal mining operations, resulting in some of them resurfacing. 'It has been discovered through the operation that most of the miners, if not all, are foreign nationals without valid documentation to be in the country,' said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli. 'It was also discovered that some of these miners could be underage, hence police are working in conjunction with officials from the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Minerals and Energy, the National Prosecution Authority, as well as other law enforcement agencies.' ALSO READ: Nearly 1 000 undocumented illegal miners retrieved from MP mine On Monday, 494 of the alleged illegal miners appeared in the Baberton Magistrate's Court facing a charge of Contravention of the Immigration Act and trespassing. The case was postponed to Thursday, 7 August, for them to get legal representation. Illegal miners' families: 'Release them' Families of the suspects and some community members gathered outside the court in support of the illegal miners, calling for their release. Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, the community members called for free bail, saying they could not afford to bail their loved ones. ALSO READ: PICS: Over 100 suspects arrested in illegal mining crackdown in North West and Limpopo 'I am heartbroken. These fathers are trying to make a living for themselves; they have IDs and passports, but they don't get employed. Now they're trying to make a living. The scourge of house breaking, rapes and murders is now low because of these men who are trying to make a living for themselves,' said one of the women who spoke to the news channel. 'How will they survive if they are getting arrested? We request free bail because these men do not have money. They went in yesterday and got arrested. They don't have money. It means once they are released, they must start from scratch. Can they release them on free bail because we do not have money to pay their bail.' Another one said, though they knew illegal mining was wrong, the men did not have many options and needed to make a living. ALSO READ: 'The smell of death was everywhere' – Stilfontein mine volunteers recount rescue mission 'They arrested our brothers and husbands. As the community of Bartberton, we are struggling with employment because they tell us we have criminal records because of the issue of trespassing. We are struggling and unemployment. We cannot rely on the R350 and R500 grants. They are trying to make a living. We know it's wrong, but today we are requesting free bail because we do not have money to bail them out.' Barberton crime Mdhluli contradicted the community member who claimed crime was down in the community due to these men making a living through illegal mining. He said the crime was high in the area due to the illegal miners. 'There is a mine that is operating legally, and on the side, there are others conducting illegal mining. Barberton has been a lot of challenges in terms of criminality, with illicit mining, firearms coming on board. And these firearms are the ones that are used to take the lives of people around the area. So we need to deal with crime without fear or favour.' He said there were more miners underground who refused to resurface. NOW READ : Illegal mining underneath Snake Road
