Johannesburg – Two officials from the Department of Home Affairs have been arrested in separate incidents for fraudulent death registration and the irregular issuance of Smart ID cards to foreign nationals who do not qualify.
The department announced the arrests on Workers’ Day, Friday 1 May 2026, saying it had “achieved two further breakthroughs in the ongoing campaign against corruption by securing the arrest of two more officials”.
The department said the latest arrests were in addition to the arrests and 63 dismissals that have already been carried out since July 2024.
In the first case, the department said 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,” revealed the department.
In a separate operation, the department said 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,” the department said.
“All suspects in the Secunda case have been charged with fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice.”
Commenting on the matter, Home Affairs Minister 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.”
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