PICS: 72 undocumented immigrants detained in Northern Cape

In a multi-disciplinary operation on Sunday, 72 undocumented immigrants were detained in Kimberly, Northern Cape. 

Operation Vala Umgodi, involving the Department of Home Affairs’ immigration services and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), aimed to locate and apprehend undocumented and illegal immigrants who may be involved in illegal mining activities in the area of the Samaria informal settlement in Kimberley.

Suspects include Zimbabweans, Lesotho, Nigerians, and others

Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said the team’s operations and activities included raids at designated homes, stop and search procedures, and visibility patrols.

“The 72 suspects arrested include Zimbabweans, Lesothoans, Nigerians, and others that will be processed and verified by the immigration officials before being formally charged and presented to court for deportation,” Sam said.

“The police, through Operation Vala Umgodi, remain committed to working with other stakeholders in addressing the scourge of illicit mining driven by undocumented or illegal migrants.”

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Pakistani sentenced for passport-related crimes

Meanwhile, the Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, welcomed the sentencing of a Pakistani national, Arfan Ahmed, who has been convicted of corruption and bribing Home Affairs officials at the Krugersdorp Home Affairs office to the tune of R45 000.

In March 2022, Ahmed was nabbed during a sting operation by the Home Affairs Counter Corruption Branch, the Hawks, and the Police Crime Intelligence at the Krugersdorp Home Affairs office.

“In the aftermath of his arrest, his home was searched, where multiple passports which were not supposed to be there were found. For this offence, he is serving eight years. As the kingpin of the passport photo swap, he was recently sentenced to another ten years imprisonment by the Krugersdorp Regional Court. He is therefore serving a total of 18 years for his involvement in the overall passport syndicate activities,” said the minister’s spokesperson, Thabo Mokgola. 

The department said the passport syndicate fraudulently procured South African passports for Pakistani citizens who did not have a legal right to possess these documents. 

12 corrupt officials fired

Ahmed was working with corrupt officials of Home Affairs in a network that spanned Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape, and Mpumalanga provinces. The 12 officials who enabled his scheme have already been fired by Home Affairs after the conclusion of their disciplinary processes, according to the department.

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Meanwhile, the Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, welcomed the sentencing of a Pakistani national, Arfan Ahmed, who has been convicted of corruption and bribing Home Affairs officials at the Krugersdorp Home Affairs office to the tune of R45 000.

In March 2022, Ahmed was nabbed during a sting operation by the Home Affairs Counter Corruption Branch, the Hawks, and the Police Crime Intelligence at the Krugersdorp Home Affairs office.

“In the aftermath of his arrest, his home was searched, where multiple passports which were not supposed to be there were found. For this offence, he is serving eight years. As the kingpin of the passport photo swap, he was recently sentenced to another ten years imprisonment by the Krugersdorp Regional Court. He is therefore serving a total of 18 years for his involvement in the overall passport syndicate activities,” said the minister’s spokesperson, Thabo Mokgola. 

The department said the passport syndicate fraudulently procured South African passports for Pakistani citizens who did not have a legal right to possess these documents. 

12 corrupt officials fired

“It’s a welcomed development. The courts are sending a strong message that crime does not pay. We’ve been waiting patiently for the sentencing of this kingpin for his role in the Krugersdorp passport syndicate. This is an illustration that, in our unflinching commitment to uproot fraud, corruption, and all sorts of crimes bedevilling our country, we make sure that kingpins and their lieutenants face the full might of the law,” Motsoaledi said.

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“Passport fraud is not a victimless crime. Every single South African is a victim because we are now forced to apply for visas when we visit countries such as the United Kingdom. This was not the case before syndicates like these denigrated our passports. We will therefore have no mercy on anybody whatsoever, Home Affairs official or outsider, who gets involved in these dastardly acts. We are doing so to protect the interests of all South Africans”.