Pretoria – The Deputy Director at the Department of Home Affairs in Beit Bridge, Musina, a practising advocate and a police Warrant Officer stationed at Vehicle Investigation Section (VIS) in Beit Bridge and 12 other officials; two immigration officers, four clearing agents, a teacher, a SARS custom official, a former Administration Clerk at Musina police station, a Home Affairs Inspectorate, a Musina businessman and a Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) councillor have been arrested by the Hawks for fraud and corruption.
The Deputy Director demanded and received two pairs of shoes worth R3 000 each so that he could stamp a brand new passport of a foreign national without any supporting documentation. The police officer on the other hand issued a false affidavit to a foreign national in the absence of the recipient for a fee of R1 200.
The advocate demanded and received R23 000 for his services of issuing business visas to foreign nationals, while clearing agents were arrested for demanding and receiving between R5 000 and R9 000 for issuing fraudulent SARS Goods Export Permits without goods being presented. The teacher at Musina Secondary School is in the dock for demanding and receiving R2 000 per passport so that he could attach Temporary Residents Permit and apply entry and departure stamps on 21 passports without any documentation supporting the foreign nationals’ stay in the country.
The PAC councillor demanded and received R7 200 for issuing false immigration stamps to foreign nationals who either overstayed or needed more days to stay in the country.
The 15 suspects will appear before the Musina Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
