Pretoria – Two staffers at the Department of Home Affairs have been arrested on suspicion that they unlawfully issued South African passports to foreign nationals in return for thousands of rand.
The department said the employees exploited weaknesses in outdated manual processes to fraudulently issue South African passports to foreign nationals for up to R100 000 each.
In a statement made available to The Bulrushes on Monday, 12 October 2026, the department said it “welcomes the arrest of two more former officials linked to a passport fraud syndicate”.
The arrests follow a joint investigation by the department’s own Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks into a syndicate uncovered in 2022, which exploited a loophole known as “photo swapping”.
This fraud involves using the identity details of legitimate South African citizens to obtain passports bearing the photographs of foreign nationals.
The department said this case was a powerful example of why we are digitally transforming Home Affairs.
Under the department’s ongoing digital reforms, biometric verification now links applicants to their identities throughout the application process, including when photographs are captured, closing the loophole that previously enabled criminals to substitute the photograph of a foreign national for that of a South African citizen.
The same approach underpins the Department’s Digital Partnership with banks, which is expanding access to Smart ID Cards through secure, digitally integrated processes.
By automating identity verification and reducing human 1 discretion, Home Affairs is systematically removing opportunities for corruption across its systems.
Commenting on the arrest of the two employees, Home Affairs Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber said: “This case is a powerful example of why we are fundamentally reforming Home Affairs”.
The Minister said for years, outdated manual processes created loopholes that criminal syndicates could exploit to fraudulently obtain South African passports.
“Through our digital transformation, we are closing these loopholes by introducing secure biometric verification and automated systems that remove opportunities for human manipulation,” he said.
“Our reforms are not simply about making Home Affairs faster and more convenient.
“They are about fundamentally changing how the Department operates, so that fraud and corruption are prevented by design rather than only detected after the damage has been done.”
Since the start of the seventh administration, 98 Home Affairs officials have been dismissed and 42 arrested as part of the department’s sustained crackdown on corruption.
Minister Schreiber commended the department’s Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks for their continued efforts to root out corruption.
