Former South African Home Affairs officials arrested for alleged $6,000 passport scheme

South African authorities have arrested two former Department of Home Affairs officials over alleged involvement in a passport fraud syndicate that sold travel documents to foreign nationals for up to $6,000 each.

According to SaharaReporters, the arrests followed investigations by the department’s Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks, which uncovered the alleged operation in 2022.

Investigators said the suspects exploited outdated manual passport-processing systems through a method known as “photo swapping”.

The scheme allegedly involved replacing photographs of legitimate South African citizens with those of foreign nationals to obtain passports under stolen identities.

“This case is a powerful example of why we are digitally transforming Home Affairs,” the department stated.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said biometric verification and automated systems would help prevent similar fraud.

The department explained that its ongoing digital reforms link applicants to their identities throughout the application process, reducing opportunities for manipulation and corruption.

Authorities commended investigators for their efforts.