Latest news with #ImmigrationandIdentificationActs
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
7 Home Affairs officials arrested for contravention of Immigration and Identification Acts
7 Home Affairs officials arrested for contravention of Immigration and Identification Acts Seven Department of Home Affairs (DHA) employees have been arrested in connection with issuing fraudulent passports to undocumented foreigners. This forms part of an ongoing operation run by the Serious Corruption Investigation component of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in Pretoria. ALSO READ: WATCH: Protesters block Home Affairs office with coffins The operation emanates from a complaint by the DHA relating to the issuance of fraudulent passports. Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale explained that allegations included corruption, fraud and contravention of the Identification Act and Immigration Act. The crimes reportedly took place between February 2020 and July 2023, with the facilitation of fraudulent passports from DHA offices in Durban, specifically the Commercial Street branch. 'These unlawful activities took place outside regular business hours, including evenings, weekends and on public holidays when the DHA offices were officially closed,' said Mogale. 'Preliminary investigations by the DHA confirmed that local citizens [were] offered R300 to R1 000 in exchange for their co-operation, especially at DHA offices in Isipingo, Durban Central and eShowe, resulting in a case being opened for investigation.' To date, 38 people have been arrested between September 2022 and now, seven of whom are DHA officials and 31 private citizens, explained Mogale. He said 24 individuals – four of them DHA officials – were convicted and sentenced to a combined 310 years' imprisonment. 'The remaining five suspects were arrested by the Serious Corruption Investigation on Saturday in various parts of Durban and will face charges of corruption, fraud, contravention of the Immigration Act and contravention of the Identification Act,' he said. Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Two more suspects linked to Durban passport fraud syndicate arrested
The Hawks have said two more suspects have been arrested in connection with a passport fraud syndicate. Image: Henk Kruger Independent Newspapers. Two more suspects have been nabbed in an ongoing corruption probe linked to the fraudulent issuing of South African passports at the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) has confirmed the arrest of two additional suspects after five suspects were initially arrested at the weekend in the Home Affairs-led law enforcement operation. According to a media statement issued by the Hawks, the arrests of the two suspects were made on Monday as part of a larger investigation that began in September 2022. The Hawks said the investigation was linked to the issuance of fraudulent passports to undocumented foreign nationals. The crimes reportedly took place between February 2020 and July 2023, at the DHA's Durban Commercial Street and uMngeni Road branches. Preliminary investigations found that South African citizens were allegedly paid between R300 and R1 000 to enable foreign nationals to fraudulently acquire passports. The bribes were paid at various DHA offices including Isipingo, Durban Central and Eshowe. It is alleged that a group of South African citizens collaborated with DHA officials to facilitate the illegal transactions. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'These unlawful activities took place outside of regular business hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, when the DHA offices were officially closed,' the Hawks statement added. Since 2022, a total of 38 individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, including seven DHA officials and 31 private citizens. Of those arrested, 'twenty-four individuals of whom four are DHA officials have been convicted and sentenced to a combined sentence of three hundred and ten years imprisonment.' All seven suspects are expected to face charges of corruption, fraud, and violations of the Immigration and Identification Acts. They are scheduled to appear on Tuesday at the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. THE MERCURY
