Home affairs officials dismissed for selling SA identities to foreigners

Two home affairs officials have been sanctioned and others are in the ministry’s sight for selling the identities of South Africans to foreigners.

On Tuesday the department said minister Aaron Motsoaledi is determined to rid home affairs of all corrupt elements.

“Two officials colluded with foreign nationals to sell identities of South Africans. The department is on the trail of more home affairs officials who are involved in these shameful acts and they will be arrested soon.”

Motsoaledi has commended who he said were most home affairs officials, saying they are honest “despite the lucrative temptations, which a few others, who are being arrested, have fallen into”.

An official from Benoni was dismissed after being found guilty of gross misconduct in a departmental sanction for processing 111 documents for foreign nationals using SA citizens’ details. He charged a fee of R1,000 per application. He is appealing his dismissal.

A Germiston official was nabbed for processing 13 passport applications, also using South Africans’ data, for foreign nationals and charging between R2,500 and R5,000 each. He was dismissed after admitting guilt, the department said.

Both are under investigation by police for possible criminal charges.

“In addition, police are tracking the South Africans who sold their identities and the foreign nationals who wanted to buy SA documents they do not deserve,” said the department.

None of the falsified documents were ever used.

“All the fraudulently processed IDs and passports were flagged as fraudulent and were removed from home affairs records, thus rendering them useless and unusable by the people who acquired them.”

TimesLIVE