The Home Affairs official who allegedly issued a Bangladeshi national a South African passport under the name ‘Lebogang Ndlovu’ has been arrested, the department confirmed.
Who was behind the ‘Lebogang Ndlovu’ fake passport?
In a statement, the Home Affairs Department confirmed that an intelligence operation led by the counter-corruption branch, in collaboration with the Hawks and other South African police agencies culminated in the suspect’s arrest, which was executed on Monday.
The alleged fraudster, whose identity remains unknown at this time, is a woman who worked at the Home Affairs branch in Benoni, Gauteng. Her face will be unmasked when she appears for her first court hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
“The official is on suspension and her disciplinary hearing is scheduled to take place this week. If she is denied bail, the Home Affairs Department will arrange with the Department of Correctional Services for the hearing to be held at their premises,” the department noted.
The woman’s arrest comes a month after a Bangladeshi national named Fahim Kazi, was taken into custody for attempting to board an international flight using a fake passport.
An intensive investigation lifted the lid on a syndicate that operates within Home Affairs branches nationwide, issuing false identity documents to illegal foreigners.
Home Affairs anti-corrupt officials have also launched a manhunt for a former employee, Kagiso ‘Ronny’ Maboa, who is said to be a central figure in the syndicate.
The 38-year-old is being sought by the same intelligence team that arrested the woman behind ‘Lebogang Ndlovu’.
“We are determined to root out corruption in all its forms in Home Affairs. We will stamp out the use of fraudulent documents by people who do not deserve them. We will continue to arrest citizens and non-nationals who engage in the production of fraudulent documents,” Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said in a statement.
