The Department of Home Affairs has made two more arrests of officials implicated in corruption as part of its ongoing internal crackdown, which has already led to 63 dismissals and several arrests.
In a statement on Friday, the department said the latest arrests form part of a broader anti-corruption campaign underway since July 2024
In the first case, an official was arrested at the Pinetown office on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, following an investigation into a fraudulent death registration on the population register. The arrest was carried out by the department’s Counter Corruption and Security Services branch, working with KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Crime Intelligence.
The official was apprehended during a sting operation after allegedly attempting to offer a bribe of R3 000 to evade arrest.
In a separate operation in Secunda, Counter Corruption and Security Services conducted a joint operation with the Hawks in Mpumalanga, which resulted in the arrest of one Home Affairs official and two members of the public.
The arrests relate to the alleged irregular issuance of Smart ID cards to foreign nationals who do not qualify. All suspects in the Secunda case have been charged with fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the pace of disciplinary action within the department continues to accelerate.
“The pace of disciplinary steps, dismissals and arrests within Home Affairs continues to quicken. The department’s investments in driving accountability mean that a week now rarely goes by without disciplinary action, arrests, or convictions,” he said.
Schreiber emphasised that the work of the Counter Corruption and Security Services team, in particular, in collaboration with other parts of law enforcement, is sending an ever more powerful message that the department has zero tolerance for corruption.
“The scale of the clampdown makes it clear that we will not rest until every last one of the officials involved in maladministration or corruption in this department is dealt with decisively,” Schreiber said. – SAnews.gov.za
