Two Former Home Affairs Officials In Court Over Alleged R100,000 Passport Scam
Two former Department of Home Affairs officials, David Motsamai, 35, and Lufu Mulaudzi, 39, appeared in the Germiston Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges linked to an alleged passport fraud syndicate that sold South African passports to foreign nationals for up to R100,000 each.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) alleges that the pair used genuine South African identity details to process passport applications while replacing the applicants’ photographs with those of foreign nationals. The practice, known as “photo swapping”, allegedly allowed foreign nationals to obtain South African passports fraudulently.
According to the department, the scheme exploited weaknesses in outdated manual processes at Home Affairs.
They face charges of corruption, fraud and contravening Section 49(5) of the Immigration Act.
Their arrests follow a joint investigation by the department’s Counter Corruption Unit and the Hawks into a syndicate first uncovered in 2022.
Motsamai, who previously worked at the Germiston Home Affairs office, was dismissed in 2022 after pleading guilty to processing 13 fraudulent passport applications for foreign nationals using South African identities. He was reportedly paid between R2,500 and R5,000 for each application.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber said the case highlighted the need to accelerate the department’s digital transformation to close loopholes exploited by criminal syndicates.
“For years, outdated manual processes created loopholes that criminal syndicates could exploit,” Schreiber said.
He added that biometric verification now links applicants to their identities throughout the passport application process, including at the photograph stage.
Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs chairperson Mosa Chabane welcomed the arrests, saying decisive action against corrupt officials was essential to protecting South Africa’s population register and national security.
The department has reported that, since the start of the seventh administration, 98 officials have been dismissed and 42 arrested as part of its anti-corruption drive.
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