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A former Home Affairs official has been sentenced to an effective 12-year imprisonment for being part of a syndicate that delivered fraudulent passports to foreign nationals who did not qualify for the documents.
Judy Zuma was sentenced on Thursday to an effective 12 years of direct imprisonment, with another 24 years suspended after she pleaded guilty and was convicted of fraud, corruption, contravention of Immigration Act 13 of 2002, and contravention of the Identification Act.
According to the Hawks, Zuma operated with foreign nations in a syndicate colluding with South African citizens to assist foreign nationals from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in obtaining South African passports by using their identity documents and biometrics.
“The foreign nationals fraudulently replaced the owner’s photos with theirs and assumed the names of the South African citizens,” Colonel Katlego Mogale said.
The Department of Home Affairs said that Zuma was found to have processed 193 passports between 28 May and 12 June 2021, for foreign nationals who did not qualify to have them, and she was paid R4 000 for each passport.
“All the affected passports were red-flagged, meaning that anyone who tries to use these fraudulent documents at a port of entry will be immediately arrested. So far, two foreign nationals have already been locked away, serving time for their involvement in this corrupt scheme. Another two were sentenced to four years of imprisonment today,” the department said on Friday.
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Zuma was allegedly recruited into this scheme by another former Home Affairs official, Zima Shange, who was sentenced to an effective 10-year imprisonment in October 2023.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, welcomed Zuma’s sentencing and said it sent a clear message that those who engage in corruption will be locked up.
He said the sentence must inaugurate a new culture of zero-tolerance towards corruption.
“The fight against corruption in this department, as demonstrated by the serious nature of the issues raised in this case, is particularly urgent given that Home Affairs sits at the heart of our national security apparatus,” Schreiber said.
The minister added that the crackdown on both the officials and foreign nationals in this syndicate strengthens his resolve to support the work of the counter-corruption branch of the department.
“I am repulsed by the actions of Zuma and other members of such syndicates, who cheapen our documents, threaten our security, and undermine the work done by committed Home Affairs officials. May she be haunted by her actions every day that she spends behind bars,” Schreiber added.
Those of us who are committed to turning Home Affairs into a department that delivers dignity will not be deterred by corrupt criminals. Instead, we will put them behind bars where they belong.”
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