Home Affairs intensifies corruption crackdown as arrests, dismissals mount

In the face of mounting pressure over undocumented migration — much of it linked to corruption within the Department of Home Affairs — the department has intensified a sweeping internal crackdown, with officials being arrested, dismissed and disciplined on an almost weekly basis. Minister Leon Schreiber said the pace of action has accelerated sharply, with barely a week passing without consequences for wrongdoing as the department moves to root out corruption. The latest case involves a Pinetown official accused of facilitating a fake death registration.

When the department’s Counter Corruption Unit began investigating the transaction, she allegedly attempted to bribe an investigator with R3 000. A sting operation conducted with police led to her arrest. The 43-year-old woman has been charged and was expected to appear in court.

Schreiber said the department had recorded further breakthroughs, including the arrest of two more officials, adding to multiple arrests and 63 dismissals since July 2024. The Pinetown arrest was carried out by the department’s own Counter Corruption and Security Services branch, working in co-ordination with KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Crime Intelligence. “In a separate operation, Counter Corruption and Security Services conducted another joint operation with the Mpumalanga Hawks in Secunda, which resulted in the arrest of one Home Affairs official and two members of the public,” he said.

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The Secunda arrests relate to the alleged irregular issuance of Smart ID cards to foreign nationals who do not qualify. All suspects have been charged with fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice.

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