The Hawks arrested a 46 year old woman in Gauteng over an alleged Home Affairs passport fraud scheme. Image credit Supplied
A 46 year old woman is expected in the Protea Glen Magistrates Court today over an alleged Home Affairs passport fraud scheme. The Hawks arrested the suspect, a foreign national, in Gauteng on Tuesday during a joint operation led by prosecutors.
She faces charges of fraud, racketeering, corruption and contravening the Immigration Act. So far, the Hawks have not released her name.
The arrest forms part of Project Humulani, an investigation that the Hawks registered in April 2022. According to Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale, the probe began in December 2021.
How the alleged Home Affairs passport fraud worked
According to the Hawks, the syndicate recruited corrupt Home Affairs officials and vulnerable South Africans. It then paired these South Africans with foreign nationals who wanted passports.
Next, the South Africans allegedly allowed their personal details to be used on applications. Meanwhile, officials swapped their photographs with those of the foreign nationals. As a result, the foreigners received genuine South African passports under someone else’s identity.
The alleged payments followed a clear pattern. Foreign nationals paid between R50 000 and R100 000 for a passport. In turn, corrupt officials received between R10 000 and R15 000 per application. However, the South Africans who handed over their identities received only R500 each.
Investigators traced cases linked to the scheme in several areas. These include Krugersdorp, Kliptown, Fairlands, Germiston and Tubatse.
The investigation has already produced results. Earlier, a court convicted another alleged kingpin in the scheme and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. In addition, investigators seized three Toyota Fortuner vehicles. Home Affairs has also blocked and cancelled several hundred passports linked to the racket.
The Hawks worked with the Home Affairs Anti Corruption Unit and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit on the operation.
For now, the Home Affairs passport fraud case continues, and investigators say more arrests remain possible.
Read more