Home Affairs dismisses 18 ‘crooked’ officials

The Department of Home Affairs has dismissed what it called 18 “crooked” officials, effective immediately, for a range of offences including fraud, corruption and sexual harassment.

The department said a further four officials were issued with final written warnings – two of which carry a one and three months salary suspension, respectively.

Home Affairs spokesperson Duwayne Esau said another two officials received written warnings.

Dismissals

Esau said the dismissals and disciplinary action follow the conclusion of all mandated human resources and appeals by the department.

“The dismissals follow from a series of recent convictions and reflect the intensification of cooperation between the department the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Hawks.

“Where prosecutable offences have been committed, the dockets will be referred for criminal prosecution, while Home Affairs also continues to work on measures to recover ill-gotten gains from perpetrators,” Essau said.

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Warning

Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said the dismissals send a “clear and unambiguous” message.

“The days where acts of fraud and corruption are committed with impunity against Home Affairs, are over. Dismissals and prosecutions are set to continue ramping up until we have squeezed crime and corruption out of the system,” Schreiber said.

“I want to thank the various law enforcement agencies that are supporting Home Affairs, as well as committed members of management, for increasingly turning our shared commitment to zero tolerance for corruption into a concrete reality.

“Those who cheapen and defraud our country are learning the hard way that there is nowhere to hide from a reinvigorated Home Affairs that is committed to upholding the rule of law and delivering dignity,” said Schreiber.

As the country is preparing to observe 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBV-F) from Monday, Schreiber also welcomed the department’s stance on the “important fight”, as expressed through the speedy dismissal of an official for sexual harassment.

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