BuaNews (Tshwane)
5 November 2009
Pretoria — Home Affairs Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has welcomed the arrest of three Egyptians at the department's office in Springs.
The three were apprehended on Wednesday by the police after allegedly attempting to engage in fraudulent marriages with six local women, who were also arrested.
Marriages of convenience have become a loophole for those who seek to acquire South African citizenship.
Apparently the women were promised monetary compensation for the arrangement [fraudulent marriages].
Welcoming the arrest of the culprits, Dlamini Zuma said she hoped that law enforcement agencies would continue to crackdown on such despicable acts.
"Not only are these women degrading themselves but they also put the security of the country at risk," she said.
Investigations are underway to determine whether there were any Home Affairs officials involved in the matter.
Addressing a stakeholder forum in the Eastern Cape earlier this week, Dlamini Zuma decried this prevalent practice and warned that the department, in conjunction with other government agencies, will not hesitate to act swiftly to bring to book those suspected of such practices.
She called on members of the community to alert authorities should they know of these practices in their areas.
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