By Staff Reporter
The Special Investigating Unit has uncovered extensive fraud syndicates involving Department of Home Affairs officials who colluded to issue irregular visas and permits, with investigations revealing systemic corruption across border and immigration services.
Speaking at a fraud- and corruption-awareness campaign at Beitbridge Border Post on Monday, SIU head Adv Andy Mothibi detailed how investigations under Presidential Proclamation 154 of 2024 had identified numerous visas and permits issued using fraudulent documents.
The campaign, organised under the Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum, brought together the BMA, SIU, Department of Home Affairs and Department of Correctional Services. During the event, institutional leaders signed a public pledge against corruption, followed by a walkabout at the border post. Convicted offenders shared testimony to highlight the human cost of graft.
In one case, a senior official and chief financial officer in North West province obtained multiple fraudulent visas, securing a CFO position in a government department and acquiring luxury vehicles and bank accounts. The matter led to criminal prosecution through the National Prosecuting Authority, while a senior legal official at Home Affairs was dismissed, following disciplinary action.
To date, investigations have resulted in 274 criminal referrals, two disciplinary referrals and 100 administrative referrals.
The SIU is also investigating the Department of Transport under Proclamation 191 of 2024, examining more than 2.6 million irregular Traffic Register Numbers linked to Home Affairs investigations. The probe identified 631,000 foreign nationals in the country illegally, of whom 63 successfully claimed over R21 million from the Road Accident Fund.
The SIU is awaiting confirmatory affidavits from Home Affairs before requesting Transport to cancel the irregularly issued TRNs and place administrative blocks preventing their use.
The investigations form part of implementing Pillar 6 of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, focused on protecting vulnerable sectors through effective risk management. The BMIACF, established in March under SIU chairpersonship, coordinates multi-stakeholder collaboration across law enforcement, civil society, organised labour and public and private sectors.
Mothibi said a National Corruption Risk and Prevention Framework, now at an advanced stage after provincial and sector consultations, emphasised proactive corruption prevention through risk assessments, data analyses, employee vetting and technology, including artificial intelligence.