Zim subcontractor working on government cars found using fake ID, offers R60k bribe

A subcontractor responsible for fixing government vehicles has been found to have a fraudulent ID, and once caught tried to pay R60 000 to get himself out of trouble.

According to the police, 41-year-old Prince Dube had a contract with car finance and loan company WesBank when an audit of service providers found his ID was marked for deletion by home affairs.

“According to the investigating officer, there was an amnesty deal between SA and Zimbabwe that all Zimbabweans in SA with fraudulent ID documents should surrender these IDs to be granted a Zimbabwean Exemption Permit.

ALSO READ: SA needs to manage migrants better – That requires cleaning up Home Affairs

“Dube surrendered his ID and afterwards applied to be a contractor with Westbank using a copy of the ID he had surrendered. That’s when it was picked up that it was marked for deletion by Home Affairs.”

This would have left him unable to remain a supplier.

A R60 000 bribe

When queried about the status of his identity document, Dube reportedly offered to pay R60 000 in the hope that the investigation against him would not proceed and he would be allowed to continue with the contract.

Instead, he was arrested in a sting operation. He appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court and was granted R7 000 bail.

ALSO READ: ‘Disregard for human rights’ – Frozen IDs still not unblocked by home affairs

The matter was postponed to 31 August 2024 for further investigation.

The Johannesburg High Court this week ruled the money for the bribe be preserved, or forfeited, to the state.

Blocked ID documents

It comes as the Department of Home Affairs starts the process of cancelling blocked SA ID documents to fight against identity theft and corruption.

The department recently gazetted a notice that anyone who currently has a blocked ID will have 30 days to explain why it should not be cancelled.

“Through this move, Home Affairs aims to resolve the decades-old issue of wrongfully blocked IDs while reducing the number of fraudulent documents in circulation,” it said.

ID documents are normally blocked after the holder dies, if there is a duplicate, a query on its validity, or if there are suspicions it may have been involved in fraud.

The department revealed that some of these documents have been blocked for 19 years.

“By providing the public with the opportunity to make representations, the Department intends to end the inconvenience caused by the block to holders of legitimate IDs, while cancelling those held by unauthorised persons.”

Additional reporting by Kyle Zeeman

NOW READ: ID blocked? You have 30 days to explain why it shouldn’t be cancelled