The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed two additional arrests in separate corruption and fraud operations, bringing the total number of arrests linked to Home Affairs-related cases in May 2026 to six.
The arrests stem from coordinated efforts between the department’s Counter Corruption and Security Services branch and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, as authorities intensify action against misconduct within immigration and civic services systems.
In the first operation on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, a naturalised foreign national was arrested at the Harrison Home Affairs office in Johannesburg.
Investigators allege the suspect falsely claimed paternity of five foreign children, enabling their fraudulent registration on the National Population Register under a South African identity document.
In a second operation on 11 May 2026, a senior immigration officer was arrested at the White River Home Affairs office in White River following an authorised entrapment operation.
The official is accused of demanding payment in exchange for the return of identity and travel documents belonging to a Mozambican national.
Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber said the latest arrests reflect an accelerating internal cleanup campaign, warning that corrupt officials and complicit members of the public will face consequences.
“We are now securing dismissals, arrests and prosecutions on a near-weekly basis as Home Affairs ramps up our cleanup operation,” Schreiber said.
“Every crooked official and complicit member of the public must know that it is now only a matter of time until their turn arrives.”
He added that the department would continue its efforts to root out corruption through a combination of disciplinary action and criminal prosecutions, saying “the days of sleeping soundly are over for the corrupt”. – SAnews.gov.za
