Two former Department of Home Affairs employees have been arrested for their alleged role in a syndicate that fraudulently issued South African passports to foreign nationals for up to R100 000 each.
The officials allegedly exploited weaknesses in an outdated manual process to issue passports through a loophole known as “photo swapping”. This involved using the identity details of legitimate South African citizens to obtain passports bearing photographs of foreign nationals.
The arrests follow a joint investigation by the department’s Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks, which uncovered the syndicate in 2022.
The department said the case demonstrates why digital transformation is crucial. Under ongoing digital reforms, biometric verification now links applicants to their identities throughout the application process, including when photographs are captured. This closes the loophole that previously enabled criminals to substitute a foreign national’s photograph for that of a South African citizen.
The same approach underpins the department’s Digital Partnership with banks, which is expanding access to Smart ID Cards through secure, digitally integrated processes.
By automating identity verification and reducing human discretion, the department is systematically removing opportunities for corruption across its systems.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said that for years, outdated manual processes had created loopholes that criminal syndicates could exploit to fraudulently obtain South African passports.
“Through our digital transformation, we are closing these loopholes by introducing secure biometric verification and automated systems that remove opportunities for human manipulation,” Schreiber said.
“Our reforms are not simply about making Home Affairs faster and more convenient. They are about fundamentally changing how the department operates so that fraud and corruption are prevented by design, rather than detected only after the damage has been done.”
Since the start of the seventh administration, 98 Home Affairs officials have been dismissed and 42 have been arrested as part of the department’s sustained crackdown on corruption.
Schreiber commended the department’s Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks for their continued efforts to root out corruption.
