The Department of Home Affairs has achieved two further breakthroughs in the ongoing campaign against corruption by securing the arrest of two more officials, in addition to the arrests and 63 dismissals that have already been carried out since July 2024.

In the first case, an official was arrested at the Pinetown office on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, following an investigation into a fraudulent death registration on the population register. The arrest was carried out by the Department’s own Counter Corruption and Security Services branch, working in coordination with KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Crime Intelligence. The official was apprehended during a sting operation after attempting to offer a bribe of R3 000 to evade arrest.

In a separate operation, Counter Corruption and Security Services conducted another joint operation with the Mpumalanga Hawks in Secunda, which resulted in the arrest of one Home Affairs official and two members of the public. The arrests relate to the alleged irregular issuance of Smart ID cards to foreign nationals who do not qualify.

All suspects in the Secunda case have been charged with fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said: “The pace of disciplinary steps, dismissals and arrests within Home Affairs continues to quicken. The Department’s investments in driving accountability mean that a week now rarely goes by without disciplinary action, arrests, or convictions. The work of the Counter Corruption and Security Services team in particular, in collaboration with other parts of law enforcement, is sending an ever more powerful message that we have zero tolerance for corruption. The scale of the clampdown makes it clear that we will not rest until every last one of the officials involved in maladministration or corruption in this department is dealt with decisively.”

Media Enquiries:

Carli van Wyk – Spokesperson to the Minister、Cell: 079 166 3899

ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS