The Department of Home Affairs announced on Tuesday that a home affairs front office clerk had been arrested in King Williamstown‚ Eastern Cape‚ for facilitating fraudulent marriages involving illegal foreign nationals.

An investigation by the Home Affairs Counter-Corruption Unit‚ South African Police Service Crime Intelligence and the Hawks led to the arrest of the official together with a foreign national suspected of leading the illegal operation.

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba hailed the arrests as a major significant step of the recently launched Operation Bvisa Masina which seeks to stop the rot within the department.

“We have pronounced‚ when we launched Operation Bvisa Masina last month‚ that we will spare no effort in rooting out corrupt elements both in the Department of Home Affairs and the community.

 “Today’s arrests ought to serve as a deterrent and a warning to those who are involved in these unscrupulous acts which seek to undermine government’s efforts to deliver quality services to our clients.

“As government‚ we are sending a strong message of zero tolerance towards corruption in all its manifestations‚” Gigaba said.

The department said that a search of the foreign national’s house had led to the discovery of copies of passports; identity documents‚ marriage certificates‚ temporary residence permits‚ visitors permits‚ asylum seeker permits and many blank home affairs face value documents.

Other documents uncovered included police clearance certificates‚ foreign birth certificates (mainly from India‚ Bangladesh)‚ cellular phones‚ security cameras‚ memory sticks‚ bank statements‚ two printers‚ one fax machine and a photocopy machine‚ all of which were confiscated.