The alleged fraud occurred in the country’s Free State province in 2023 and involved a method known as photo swapping.
The suspects appeared before the Bothaville Magistrate’s Court on October 27. The case was postponed to January 20, 2027.
The arrests followed an investigation by the Department of Home Affairs Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks.
Photo swapping exploits weaknesses in outdated systems to secure SA passports fraudulently by substituting an applicant’s photograph.
Home Affairs said biometric verification introduced through the Department’s digital transformation programme had since closed some of the loopholes previously used to commit passport fraud.
The latest arrests bring the number of people arrested in connection with corruption at Home Affairs to 44 since July 2024.
Another 98 officials have been dismissed during the same period. “These arrests send a clear message that those who exploited weaknesses in Home Affairs’ systems will be held accountable,” Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber said.
“Through our digital transformation reform programme, we have since closed key loopholes to prevent such fraud from recurring, while ensuring that those responsible for corruption do not escape the full might of the law.”
Schreiber said the Department was combining investigations and prosecutions with technological reforms designed to reduce opportunities for corruption.
Biometric verification links applicants to identity records throughout the passport application process, limiting the potential for photographs or other personal information to be substituted. “Our approach is twofold: pursuing corruption without fear or favour, while using technology to eliminate opportunities for corruption in the first place,” Schreiber said.
“This is how we are building a fundamentally different Home Affairs that does not merely respond to corruption, but systematically eliminates the opportunities for it to occur.”
The Department said the investigation formed part of continuing efforts to protect the integrity of SA’s identity and travel documents.
–ChannelAfrica–
