Two former employees of South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs have been arrested over their alleged links to a criminal network accused of selling fraudulently obtained South African passports to foreign nationals for up to R100,000 each.
The arrests followed a joint investigation by the department’s Counter Corruption Unit and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, popularly known as the Hawks, which began uncovering the alleged operation in 2022.
The Department of Home Affairs said the suspects allegedly exploited weaknesses in an outdated manual passport-processing system to facilitate the illegal issuance of travel documents through a method known as “photo swapping”.
The scheme reportedly involved using the personal details of genuine South African citizens to process passports bearing photographs of foreign nationals, enabling the beneficiaries to obtain travel documents under identities that were not theirs.
In a statement, the department welcomed the arrests, describing the case as evidence of how outdated administrative procedures created opportunities for criminal syndicates to manipulate the passport issuance process.
It said the development further highlighted the need for its ongoing digital transformation programme, which is aimed at strengthening identity verification, preventing fraud and reducing corruption.
Under the new system, biometric verification connects applicants to their identities at different stages of the passport application process, including during the capture of photographs. The measure is designed to prevent the substitution of applicants’ photographs with those of other individuals.
“This case is a powerful example of why we are digitally transforming Home Affairs,” the department said, explaining that automated verification systems were being introduced to close loopholes previously exploited by criminal networks.
The department added that similar digital reforms were being implemented through its partnership with banks to expand access to Smart ID Cards using secure, integrated processes.
According to Home Affairs, reducing manual intervention and human discretion in identity-related transactions would help prevent corruption rather than relying solely on investigations after offences had occurred.
South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister, Dr Leon Schreiber, said the weaknesses in the old manual system had enabled criminal syndicates to obtain passports fraudulently for years.
He explained that the government’s digital reforms were designed to eliminate such vulnerabilities through biometric checks and automated procedures that limit opportunities for manipulation.
“For years, outdated manual processes created loopholes that criminal syndicates could exploit to fraudulently obtain
