- Two home affairs department officials have been dismissed and four others were suspended for identity-related fraud.
- The department said Sfiso Kheswa, who sold his identity to a Pakistani national, was also arrested by the Hawks.
- Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said his department would "fearlessly and ruthlessly" root out corruption.
Two Department of Home Affairs officials have been dismissed and four others suspended for identity-related fraud.
This was revealed by spokesperson Siya Qoza who said this was part of the department’s ongoing clean-up operations to rid it of corrupt elements.
At the Benoni offices, Phathisani Outshiki was found guilty of gross misconduct for processing 111 documents for foreign nationals, using particulars of South African citizens, for a fee of R1 000 per application.
Qoza said 98 of these documents were passports, and 13 were IDs. He said Outshiki pleaded guilty and was dismissed, but had since decided to appeal the dismissal.
Meanwhile, at the Germiston offices, Morena David Motsamai was found guilty of gross misconduct for processing 13 passport applications for foreign nationals, also using the particulars of South Africans.
He had been paid between R2 500 and R5 000 per application, Qoza said. Motsamai pleaded guilty and was dismissed.
"The police are pursuing criminal charges against both Mr Outshiki and Mr Motsamai. In addition, the police are tracking the South Africans who sold their identities and the foreign nationals who wanted to buy South African documents they do not deserve," Qoza said.
He added that all fraudulently processed IDs and passports had been flagged removed from the the department's records.
On 1 July, the department suspended four officials at the Tzaneen office who were allegedly processing fraudulent documents.
Their disciplinary hearings were scheduled to take place within 10 working days, Qoza said.
"All six officials have been on the radar of the Home Affairs Counter Corruption Branch without their knowledge and them suspecting anything, hence it was easy to catch them."
Qoza said the case against more than 20 home affairs officials linked to a Pakistani passport syndicate kingpin, who was arrested in a sting operation in Krugersdorp in March, was not yet complete. They were arrested after a raid at the department's offices, the Hawks said at the time.
'If you sell your identity, you are replaced'
Department official Nhlanhla Mathebula, who was part of five people arrested on fraud charges, was behind bars in White River pending the outcome of his hearing on Wednesday, he said.
"He is being taken through the department’s disciplinary processes."
Mathebula, Mohamed Ali, 36, Gabriel Samuel van der Merwe, 32, Christopher Marillier, 38, and Sfiso Kheswa, 30, were arrested in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, and White River, Mpumalanga, in May.
According to the department, Kheswa allegedly sold his identity to a Pakistani national.
"The police are looking for another senior home affairs official from the Praktiseer Home Affairs office who is involved in the scheme of the Pakistani passport syndicate kingpin. He has already been dismissed by the department following a disciplinary hearing on an unrelated matter," Qoza said.
"We arrest kingpins, South Africans, and non-nationals who are involved in these criminal schemes. We urge South Africans to stop selling their identity."
Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi vowed that his department would "fearlessly and ruthlessly" root out corruption.
"I have no doubt that with support from members of the public who are patriotic enough to report these corrupt practices, we dare not fail but win this battle," he said.
"If you sell your identity, you are replaced by a foreign national on our database, which means that you will not be able to access services in country."
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