In a significant crackdown on fraud and corruption, Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, has announced the immediate dismissal of 18 officials from various offices across South Africa.
These dismissals were confirmed in a statement on Wednesday, with the officials found guilty of a range of serious offences, including fraud, corruption, and sexual harassment.
Schreiber’s statement underscores the department’s intensified efforts to combat wrongdoing within its ranks. As part of this initiative, four additional officials received final written warnings; among them, two had their salaries docked while the others were issued written warnings without financial penalties.
“These dismissals send a clear and unambiguous message that the days when acts of fraud and corruption are committed with impunity against Home Affairs are over,” Schreiber stated.
“Dismissals and prosecutions are set to continue ramping up until we have squeezed crime and corruption out of the system.”
The minister’s actions follow a concerning series of recent convictions and reflect a robust collaboration between the Department of Home Affairs, the Special Investigating Unit, and the Hawks.
Where there have been prosecutable offences, Schreiber assured that the relevant dockets would be referred for criminal prosecution, and the department is working tirelessly to recover any ill-gotten gains from perpetrators.
In September, Schreiber indicated that corrupt officials, working together with big syndicates, operate at night to process illegal documents for foreigners, adding that in one instance, an official was found guilty of providing South African birth certificates to Zimbabwean nationals for just R1 000.
According to the Home Affairs’ report, the reasons for the dismissals are alarming.
Six officials faced sanctions for irregular solemnisation and registration of marriages; four were implicated in the unlawful granting of identification documents; three faced dismissal for irregular processing of birth certificates; and additional cases involved processing of passports, approving visa applications, and extending asylum seeker permits.
One official was specifically dismissed for sexual harassment, while another was sanctioned for the irregular deactivation of files.
The timing of these actions coincides with the upcoming observance of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBV-F), commencing on November 25.
Schreiber welcomed the department’s decisive stance against sexual harassment, further reinforcing its commitment to tackling not only financial crime but also abuses that undermine the dignity and safety of individuals.
In his remarks, Schreiber praised the efforts of law enforcement agencies and whistleblowers, stating: “I want to thank the various law enforcement agencies that are supporting Home Affairs, as well as committed members of management, for increasingly turning our shared commitment to zero tolerance for corruption into a concrete reality.”
He added that the department is determined to uphold the rule of law and protect South African citizens from those who seek to exploit the system.