A Border Management Authority official stationed at the Maseru Port of Entry was arrested after an intelligence driven operation. Image credit BMA
A 56 year old Border Management Authority official stationed at the Maseru Port of Entry has been arrested after an intelligence driven operation. With the BMA official arrested, investigators say they found him with 22 stamped passports belonging to Lesotho nationals who were not at the border, as well as R2 100 in cash.
Several units worked together on the operation. These included the BMA Integrity Management Unit, the Home Affairs Counter Corruption Unit, the SAPS Ladybrand Detectives and K9 Unit, and Crime Intelligence in the Free State.
How the BMA official arrested allegedly ran the scheme
According to the BMA, intelligence showed that someone moved the passports from Limpopo to Ladybrand to have them stamped. The stamps would extend the holders’ permitted stay in South Africa. However, the passport holders never had to appear at the border in person, which the law requires.
In other words, people could keep living in South Africa on fresh entry stamps without ever leaving the country.
The official now faces charges of corruption, possession of passports without lawful authority and immigration related offences. He is expected to appear in the Ladybrand Magistrate’s Court soon. Authorities have not released his name.
BMA deputy assistant commissioner Mmemme Mogotsi said the investigation is ongoing. She added that investigators have not ruled out more arrests.
Meanwhile, BMA commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato said South Africa is beginning to see the real benefits of the authority’s tough stance on corruption. According to Masiapato, the BMA is finalising more than 60 disciplinary cases. He also said the authority has dismissed 17 officials over the past three months, and he expects more dismissals to follow.
This is not the first corruption arrest at the Maseru border this year. In July, investigators arrested another BMA official at the same port. That official allegedly accepted R600 to stamp a Lesotho woman’s passport even though she never appeared at the immigration counter. Investigators uncovered the scheme after police arrested the woman in an unrelated matter. At the time, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber warned corrupt officials that the net is closing.
The latest arrest also comes as concerns about corruption inside Home Affairs and the border system continue to grow. Last week, police Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said police are looking into senior Home Affairs officials who allegedly help foreign nationals enter the country.
Commentary across social media platforms has welcomed the arrest. However, many users say the case shows how easily people can get around the border system, and they have called for tougher action at every port of entry.
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