Hawks nail NCape immigration official for alleged corruption

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) anti-corruption unit in the Northern Cape, in collaboration with the home affairs department, have arrested an alleged corrupt immigration officer at the Vioolsdrift border post between South Africa and Namibia.

“A project driven investigation ensued when the home affairs’ anti-corruption [unit] approached the Hawks to further investigate the alleged activities of corruption at [the] border post,” Captain Philani Nkwalase said.

The investigation started in October 2016 and had now led to the arrest of a 46-year-old immigration officer. Two other immigration officers were taken in for questioning and were later released.

The arrested official was charged with corruption and contravention of immigration legislation and was scheduled to appear in the Springbok Magistrate’s Court.

Several passports of foreign nationals were found at the suspect’s premises during a search. Hawks investigations uncovered the “fraudulent renewal of passports without following due processes and acceptance of gratification through cash payments as well as electronic transactions”, Nkwalase said.

Hawks Northern Cape provincial head Maj-Gen Kholekile Galawe applauded the home affairs management at Vioolsdrift for acting decisively in reporting the matter to the Hawks and their assistance during the investigation. “We are in dire need of such patriotic and law abiding civil servants within our province and the entire country,” Galawe said.

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