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Home Affairs crackdown — 18 officials fired for fraud, graft, sexual harassment

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has announced that his department has dismissed 18 officials for a range of offences including corruption, fraud and sexual harassment. Now, criminal charges will follow where applicable.
Home Affairs crackdown — 18 officials fired for fraud, graft, sexual harassment The purge of 18 “errant” Home Affairs officials – conducted in cooperation with the Special Investigating Unit and the Hawks – is in line with Schreiber’s vow to root out corruption, fraud and maladministration in the department he inherited earlier this year. The department revealed on Wednesday, 20 November 2024 that the officials were axed with immediate effect, for the following reasons:
  • Four were fired for irregularly granting ID documents;
  • Six for irregularly registering marriages;
  • Three for irregularly processing birth certificates;
  • One for irregularly processing passports;
  • One for irregular approval of visa applications;
  • One for irregular extension of asylum seeker permits;
  • One for sexual harassment; and
  • One for the irregular deactivation of a file.
“These dismissals send a clear and unambiguous message that the days where acts of fraud and corruption are committed with impunity against Home Affairs are over. Dismissals and prosecutions are set to continue ramping up until we have squeezed crime and corruption out of the system,” Schrieber said. Read more: New Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber’s report card after picking up the poisoned chalice of ‘Hell Affairs’ Four other officials were issued with final written warnings, two of which carry salary suspensions for one and three months. Two other officials received written warnings. The department said that, where applicable, prosecutable offences would be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority for criminal charges, while Home Affairs works on measures to recover ill-gotten gains from perpetrators. [caption id="attachment_1273473" align="alignnone" width="2000"]Home Affairs People queue outside the Department of Home Affairs in Cape Town on 3 May 2021. (Photo: Leila Dougan)[/caption]

The rot 

Daily Maverick has previously reported that in 2022, former director-general in the Presidency Cassius Lubisi released a report exposing the rot in the Department of Home Affairs, with detailed evidence of visa application fraud and misuse of the department’s antiquated systems. The most recent and highly publicised instance of fraud and corruption facilitated by Home Affairs officials was the case of Chidimma Adetshina.  When questions about Adetshina’s citizenship arose after she became a finalist in the Miss SA pageant, a Home Affairs investigation uncovered evidence that her mother may have stolen the identity of a South African mother in 2001 when Adetshina was an infant. In October, the department revealed plans to cancel the ID and travel documents for Adetshina and her mother. Read more: Hell Affairs Earlier this year, whistle-blowers exposed the Consul-General in Dubai, Andrew Tsepo Lebona, for his involvement in an elaborate scam which involved selling South African visas to United Arab Emirates citizens. A Sunday Times report claimed that Lebona allegedly arranged break-ins at his offices as part of an elaborate scheme to sell visas for UAE citizens to enter South Africa. DM
Lerato Mutsila
By Lerato Mutsila
20 Nov 2024
Facebook
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The purge of 18 “errant” Home Affairs officials – conducted in cooperation with the Special Investigating Unit and the Hawks – is in line with Schreiber’s vow to root out corruption, fraud and maladministration in the department he inherited earlier this year.

The department revealed on Wednesday, 20 November 2024 that the officials were axed with immediate effect, for the following reasons:


  • Four were fired for irregularly granting ID documents;

  • Six for irregularly registering marriages;

  • Three for irregularly processing birth certificates;

  • One for irregularly processing passports;

  • One for irregular approval of visa applications;

  • One for irregular extension of asylum seeker permits;

  • One for sexual harassment; and

  • One for the irregular deactivation of a file.


“These dismissals send a clear and unambiguous message that the days where acts of fraud and corruption are committed with impunity against Home Affairs are over. Dismissals and prosecutions are set to continue ramping up until we have squeezed crime and corruption out of the system,” Schrieber said.

Read more: New Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber’s report card after picking up the poisoned chalice of ‘Hell Affairs’

Four other officials were issued with final written warnings, two of which carry salary suspensions for one and three months. Two other officials received written warnings.

The department said that, where applicable, prosecutable offences would be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority for criminal charges, while Home Affairs works on measures to recover ill-gotten gains from perpetrators.

Home Affairs People queue outside the Department of Home Affairs in Cape Town on 3 May 2021. (Photo: Leila Dougan)


The rot 


Daily Maverick has previously reported that in 2022, former director-general in the Presidency Cassius Lubisi released a report exposing the rot in the Department of Home Affairs, with detailed evidence of visa application fraud and misuse of the department’s antiquated systems.

The most recent and highly publicised instance of fraud and corruption facilitated by Home Affairs officials was the case of Chidimma Adetshina. 

When questions about Adetshina’s citizenship arose after she became a finalist in the Miss SA pageant, a Home Affairs investigation uncovered evidence that her mother may have stolen the identity of a South African mother in 2001 when Adetshina was an infant. In October, the department revealed plans to cancel the ID and travel documents for Adetshina and her mother.

Read more: Hell Affairs

Earlier this year, whistle-blowers exposed the Consul-General in Dubai, Andrew Tsepo Lebona, for his involvement in an elaborate scam which involved selling South African visas to United Arab Emirates citizens. A Sunday Times report claimed that Lebona allegedly arranged break-ins at his offices as part of an elaborate scheme to sell visas for UAE citizens to enter South Africa. DM

Comments

laurantsystems Nov 20, 2024, 03:43 PM

If all the corrupt DHA officials were fired, we'd probably end up with only 18 survivors.

Fanie Rajesh Ngabiso Nov 21, 2024, 10:51 AM

What a useless comment. You should be celebrating the good.

megapode Nov 20, 2024, 03:46 PM

Great example. Act first, THEN make the announcements. Too many tell us their intent and then do stuff that may or may not be what they announced. Steenhuisen also take note: Don't tell us you're getting rid of a guy. Get rid of him and then tell us he's gone.

Robert Breyer Nov 20, 2024, 07:39 PM

Do we know what on earth happened with Roman Cabanac? Nobody wrote about whether he is still with the Department of Agriculture awaiting his CCMA hearing. Haha.

megapode Nov 21, 2024, 10:58 AM

Per his bio on X he is still Chief Of Staff in the Ministry of Agriculture. It is unclear whether or not he was asked to step down. What is clear is that he is under no obligation to go just because he's asked to. He can't be fired unless there is a contravention by him.

Noelsoyizwap Nov 21, 2024, 06:37 PM

If he leaves, it will be based on what is called "no-fault termination". Out of many forms of employment termination, this is the most difficult to execute, because it mostly comes from consultations, and agreements. Thing is, it's the DA that is egg-faced here, much more than DHA.

robbex Nov 20, 2024, 04:04 PM

Next steps: Blacklisting all so that they cannot be employed in the public sector, Publicise their names so that private sector employment is difficult, where possible penalise by fines sufficiently high to show that crime does not pay

D'Esprit Dan Nov 20, 2024, 04:30 PM

Or just chuck them in prison and forget about them.

megapode Nov 21, 2024, 11:01 AM

I think an employer (which DHA is here) would be in trouble if they put this information into the public domain. Courts (where a court case is appropriate) are a different case.

Les Thorpe Nov 20, 2024, 05:31 PM

Only eighteen? I would have thought the department would need to have got rid of at least eighteen thousand.

Jan Pierewit Nov 20, 2024, 06:05 PM

Good work Minister Leon Schreiber!

Kevin Venter Nov 21, 2024, 03:06 AM

A day to be celebrated! A politician who actually has the WILL and GUTS to actually DO something about corruption. DR Leon Schreiber should be the lecturer who will deliver the course on how to DO something about corruption in the ANC's political education programme, which CR needs to attend.

Murray Burt Nov 21, 2024, 07:08 AM

Well done! Excellent! Thank you, here's the another glimmer of hope for our country.

Rae Earl Nov 21, 2024, 08:14 AM

An excellent example of what happens when a responsible hard worker gets to head a department riddled with corruption. Home Affairs has been a glaring example of the destruction that takes place when cadre deployment is installed with ANC support. Thanks Mr. Schreiber and DA. Progress at last.

Gugu1 K Nov 21, 2024, 10:37 AM

Well done minister. Although I fear that this may only be a tip of the iceberg. All ministers should be engaged in similar crusades, to root out corruption from within - we'll all be better of if they did so.

Middle aged Mike Nov 21, 2024, 02:43 PM

In fairness most of the other traditionally sourced ministers are up to their ears in corruption so don't have the time for crusading.

Noelsoyizwap Nov 21, 2024, 04:23 PM

Do we know if the fired officials were part of the 120 Hawks & SIU descended in offices and homes country-wid, back in March and May this year? How long does a disciplinary process take in government? Im just thinking, maybe a six months, a year.....

Noelsoyizwap Nov 21, 2024, 05:11 PM

Recent example, Mr Cabanac, when was he told to vacate? September, if my low IQ inspired memory serves me right this time. When will he eventually leave, six months, a year. Yes, of course, no two cases have the same merits. But can we guess when will he, finally, leave office

Middle aged Mike Nov 21, 2024, 05:50 PM

As per 30 years of tradition he'll need to be suspended on full pay for a year or two and then be found guilty of something dismissable. There's not much likelihood of the latter so our world class labour laws mean it'll be some time before he moves along unless they pay him handsomely to go

Kevin Venter Nov 22, 2024, 02:26 AM

John Steenhuizen didn't consider the labour law in South Africa. You cannot just ask someone to leave. You have to have evidence of that person having contravened their employment agreement. Even then there is a warnings process etc. Roman will be around for a long time yet.

megapode Nov 21, 2024, 11:03 AM

There are a small number of cabinet ministers who are acting at a far higher level than the rest. Schreiber is one. The others are Ramokgopa and McKenzie.

Middle aged Mike Nov 21, 2024, 02:08 PM

What have McKenzie and Ramokgopa done that's impressed you?

Kevin Venter Nov 22, 2024, 02:33 AM

The only four officials that have impressed me so far are Gayton Mckenzie, Dean McPherson, Leon Schreiber & Ian Cameron, probably just because they are the ones that have been in the Media already showing tangible outcomes. I am sure there are others behind the scenes.

Kevin Venter Nov 22, 2024, 02:37 AM

More than what we can say about Captain Inaction - Cyril Ramaphosa. The justice ministry still occupied by a VBS looter who fudged the loan agreement after. Her report probably hasn't even been opened or fact checked. The spin doctors are trying to find a way to spin the story. What a farce.

Middle aged Mike Nov 21, 2024, 02:51 PM

More strength to the ministers elbow. He has an enormous task ahead of him and will have the mother of all fightbacks on his hands as the networks of graft and corruption in DHA are 30 years deep.

Noelsoyizwap Nov 21, 2024, 04:15 PM

This story reminds me of a couple of company CEOs I've read about. All were relieved of their duties because of their ineffective turnaround strategies over a long period. However, their replacements were able produce wonders within no-time at all. WELL DONE DA MINISTERS

Noelsoyizwap Nov 21, 2024, 04:50 PM

Welldone DA: I also heard Willie Aucamp attributing the last quarter rise in employment figures to GNU efforts. Typically, employment figures rise every year in the last quarter, while seasonal businesses and other are gearing up for the busy season. I guess GNU needs every shot in its arm.