Twenty Home Affairs officials, and six civilians, were arrested in Bloemfontein on Thursday on grounds of fraud and corruption, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba has announced.
The crackdown formed part of government’s Operation Bvisa Masina, launched in July last year. Prior to Thursday’s arrests, 83 people had been arrested, of which 42 were officials of the department and 41 were nonofficials.
“Corruption has a detrimental effect on government’s effort to deliver effective services to the people. Today’s arrests, therefore, demonstrate in concrete terms government’s zero-tolerance for crime, as well as South Africa’s fight against corruption in both the private and public sectors,” Gigaba said.
Arrests pertained to false documentation, bribery, aiding and abetting, impersonation, revenue theft and fraudulent violations relating to births, marriages and deaths.
Those arrested are appearing before various magistrate's courts in the country. Internally, the implicated officials were suspended and subjected to disciplinary action. Last year, 37 officials were dismissed for fraud and corruption.
“Internal data shows a remarkable decline in civics violations, with most transgressions being recorded in immigration. Of the 83 arrests, 61 were related to immigration and 22 to civic services,” Gigaba pointed out.
He further used the corruption charges as an opportunity to justify the “tightening of immigration laws”, which has had a detrimental impact on the country’s tourism figures.