Home affairs official who issued passport to ‘Lebogang from Bangladesh’ arrested

A Department of Home Affairs official who fraudulently issued the passport to “Lebogang from Bangladesh” has been arrested.

The department’s Counter Corruption Branch, working with the Hawks and other law enforcement agencies, handcuffed the official on Monday.

The official, who works at the Benoni home affairs office, is expected to appear in the Benoni Magistrate Court for a formal bail hearing on Tuesday.

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Department spokesperson Siya Qoza said 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.”

Fahim Kazi became a news sensation as “Lebogang from Bangladesh” when he was arrested while trying to leave the country on 12 May 2022.

At the time of Kazi’s arrest, Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said that the clampdown on the use of fraudulent South African documents was bearing fruit as the department knew which corrupt official issued that fraudulent passport, because the official had been on the radar of the counter-corruption branch.

Motsoaledi also promised the country that the official would be arrested and face the full might of the law.

“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.”

Motsoaledi continues to urge South Africans to stop selling their identities to foreign nationals.

“If you sell your identity, two things will happen. Firstly, we will arrest you. Secondly, you will not be able to access services in the country.”

Meanwhile, Motsoaledi says his department is considering reviving transit visas in an attempt to help deal with foreign nationals entering South Africa illegally.

This comes after eight undocumented migrants were arrested at OR Tambo International Airport for attempting to enter the country through a fire hydrant.

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