Decisive action taken against border corruption: home affairs minister

A number of government agencies are enforcing accountability in the border and immigration environment and this has resulted in some of the most decisive action taken to date against corruption, home affairs minister Leon Schreiber said.

He was speaking at the launch of the Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum.

He said the Special Investigating Unit, his department, the Border Management Authority, the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority were collectively enforcing accountability in the immigration environment.

“Between July 2024 and February 2025, 27 officials have been dismissed from the department of home affairs for a range of offences including fraud, corruption and sexual misconduct,” Schreiber said.

Eighteen of the dismissals were announced in November last year and, since then, another nine officials have been dismissed. He said once appeals now ongoing were completed, this number was likely to increase.

“Thanks to the work of our partners in law enforcement, eight officials have already been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to 18 years, while criminal prosecution of another 19 officials is under way.”

He said in one notable case, Pakistani citizen Afran Ahmed, who charged foreign nationals R45,000 per South African passport, was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment in the Krugersdorp magistrate's court.

Schreiber said at the Border Management Agency (BMA) over the same period, 10 officials had been dismissed for corruption, and one for aiding and abetting.

“Another 45 BMA cases are at various stages in the disciplinary process and could also result in further dismissals.”

Schreiber said efforts to defeat corruption will never succeed if the government sought to treat the symptoms only.

“What we require is an approach that tackles the problem at its root by enforcing accountability for corruption and simultaneously reforming the system itself to close the loopholes and weaknesses that criminals exploit,” Schreiber said,

National director of public prosecutions Shamila Batohi said the official launch was another demonstration of a collective effort to build a secure and prosperous South Africa.

“Corruption is an attack on the rule of law. It undermines the very foundation of our governance structures and our commitment to fairness and integrity. In critical areas of border management and immigration, it poses significant challenges, it compromise security, economic stability and the safety of the country's citizens.”

She said according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, South Africa become an important transit route for organised crime networks involving human trafficking, and drug and small arms smuggling.

“Our ability to monitor and control our borders is a key pillar of state security and sovereignty. When these systems are vulnerable to corruption, the consequences are dire.”

Batohi said the forum was a powerful step in fostering co-operation with various stakeholders, including law enforcement, civil society and members of the public.

She said South Africans were right to be outraged by the prevalence of corruption.

“We know, however, that nothing will move the needle in our country until high-profile corruption matters are dealt with effectively. We have enrolled thousands of corruption cases. We have recovered billions of rand through our ambitious asset recovery strategy.”

Batohi said she was aware that the lens through which South Africans measured success in addressing corruption was seeing politicians involved in state capture wearing “orange overalls”.

Graham Wright, CEO of Business Against Crime, said business recognised that a secure, well-managed and corrupt-free border management system was critical not only for economy but for job creation as well.

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