BuaNews (Tshwane)
Michael Appel
9 December 2007
Pretoria — In the latest crackdown on corruption within the Department of Home Affairs, five officials were arrested on Friday on a number of different charges.
Commending the department after the arrest of the five officials, all from the departments head office in Watloo, Director-General Mavuso Msimang said the arrests were in line with its zero tolerance approach to corruption.
The five officials are being charged on offences ranging from fraud, late registration of birth, unlawful marriages and facilitating fraudulent marriages between South Africans and illegal immigrants.
"The department is using its resources and is also working with other law enforcement agencies in its fight against corruption committed by persons inside and outside the Department," Mr Msimang said.
As a result of this operation, over 1 500 fraudulent marriages and 200 birth certificates were registered and captured into the department's system fraudulently between January and October 2007, using an existing or dormant user-ID of a retired or transferred official to gain access into the system.
The syndicate's modus operandi included the capturing of fraudulent and back-dated documents, such a marriage certificates between South African woman and illegal immigrants, who would then nullify the same marriage within a few months on the system.
He said they are currently stabilising the Information Technology (IT) network and also completing designs for future IT infrastructure that will allow the introduction of innovative new services to customers whilst also securing documents that safeguard citizens against identity theft.
Mr Msimang reiterated that the vast majority of the department's employees are not corrupt.
He did, however, concede that there existed pockets of corruption that will continue to be dealt with at any given time.
Before joining the department, Mr Msimang was instrumental in turning South African National Parks (SAN Parks) into a profitable organisation, and whilst at the helm of the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), he encouraged the singling out of corrupt employees in a public name and shame campaign through an internal publication.
In his "100 days in office" report in September 2007, Mr Msimang said he should be allowed at least 12 months to turn the department - which has been plagued by inefficient service, fraud and corruption - into "a modern, efficient, cost-effective service organisation responsive to the needs of South African citizens, residents and visitors to our country."
To date, 189 officials have either been dismissed or suspended between April and September 2007 on charges ranging from fraud, misappropriation of state funds, aiding and abetting illegal immigrants, illegal issuing of documents, selling fraudulent documents, abscondment, soliciting bribes and theft of face value documents.
Of the 189 officials, 56 were dismissed for committing serious acts of misconduct, and during the same period, the department has suspended 34 officials and issued 99 final written warnings.
Mr Msimang has urged Home Affairs officials and members of the public to report any suspected acts of corruption on the National Anti-Corruption hotline 0800 701 701, or to log on to the Home Affairs website: www.dha.gov.za <http://www.dha.gov.za/> to verify their status.
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