A Park Rynie Home Affairs official and a foreign national were arrested for identity fraud on Monday morning, 7 November.
Detective W/O Strini Maistry of Scottburgh SAPS arrested the Home Affairs official for corruption at about 10am.
“The official has been detained and is due to appear in the Scottburgh Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 9 November on a charge of fraud,” said Capt Nqobile Gwala of the SAPS KZN media centre.
It is alleged the 30-year-old official attended to a foreign national at the Park Rynie Home Affairs offices in January 2014 and provided him with a fraudulent birth certificate in exchange for a payment of R1,500.
The birth certificate was still on the Home Affairs system awaiting collection by a South African citizen who had previously applied for a late registration of birth.
“When the foreign national enquired about obtaining a South African identity book, the official informed him he could get one for between R3,500 and R4,000 but he did not follow up on this enquiry.
They knew each other previously as they had attended the same church.
Subsequently, the foreign national visited the Home Affairs offices in Isipingo and applied for a South African identity book. His application was processed and he was asked to call again to collect his identity book,” said Capt Gwala.
Home Affairs investigators, however, discovered the fingerprints of the applicant for the birth certificate differed from those of the applicant for the identity book.
The foreign national was arrested earlier on Monday morning and he identified the Home Affairs official from the Park Rynie office as the one who had sold him the fraudulent birth certificate.
They knew each other previously as they had attended the same church.
He will also appear in court on the same day.
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