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Six officials from the Department of Home Affairs have been arrested at the Lebombo port of entry in Komatipoort.
They were arrested in connection with fraud, corruption, and the contravention of the Migration Act.
The officials, who are stationed at the Lebombo border post, were arrested alongside a police officer and a Mozambican national.
Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi visited the area on Friday said the arrests followed an 18-month long police investigation.
"The officials who were arrested today together with the hawker who was directing them as a result of this tip-off, have been under surveillance by a team of the Hawks and Home Affairs counter-corruption for a period of 18 months."
"It’s not something that happened in one day they have been under observation. These people are involved in an elaborate scam that is at the roots of lots of problems regarding the issue of immigration into South Africa," he said”
Motsoaledi said the elaborate scam consisted of collecting passports from people whose time in South Africa is about to expire.
"The passports were then taken to the Mozambican lady who is the master and the runner of the scam, who has a network of officials that she works with here at the border.
"The lady will then get the officials to stamp the passport as if the owner of the passport has been through the border and back."
The suspects are expected to appear in court on Monday.
(Source: JacarandaFM)
