Home Affairs Fires 54, Jails 8 in Corruption Cleanup | SA News

JOHANNESBURG, 20 Sept 2025 – In a landmark address, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber declared his department is "beginning to win the fight against corruption," citing the dismissal of 54 officials and eight criminal convictions with prison sentences of up to 18 months as evidence of a decisive break from a past where the department was a "ground zero site for State Capture."

Speaking at the University of Johannesburg’s Combatting Corruption Summit on Thursday, Minister Schreiber outlined a two-pronged strategy combining ruthless accountability with sweeping digital reforms designed to systematically eliminate opportunities for graft.
READ: Massive Fire Engulfs Home Affairs Building Germiston — City Streets on Lockdown

Holding the Corrupt Accountable

The minister revealed that between July 2024 and August 2025, a collaborative effort involving forensic experts, the SIU, and the NPA led to:

• 54 officials from Home Affairs and the Border Management Authority (BMA) dismissed for fraud, corruption, and misconduct.
• 8 convicted individuals sentenced to prison terms.
• A further 40 disciplinary cases and 15 criminal cases currently underway.

"This is a strong start, but we are far from done. We will not stop until we have purged each and every official who abuses their position for personal gain," Schreiber stated, attributing the success to the newly formed Border and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum.

Systemic Reform: Closing the Loopholes with Technology

Beyond punitive measures, Schreiber emphasized that the core of the new strategy is prevention through digital transformation.

1. The New E-Visa System: The minister announced the imminent rollout of a world-class Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system. Using machine learning, it will automate visa applications by authenticating passports and matching selfies to passport photos, eliminating human discretion that allowed corruption, such as the case of 95 Libyan nationals who fraudulently entered on hand-written visas.
2. Securing the Passport: A recent upgrade now requires a biometric check on the photo for all new passports. If the image doesn't match the holder on the Population Register, the application is automatically declined.
3. Phasing Out the Green ID Book: Labeling the green, bar-coded ID book "the most defrauded document on the African continent," Schreiber announced a massive expansion of the banking partnership to distribute secure Smart IDs. The goal is to activate services in hundreds of new bank branches, specifically targeting rural areas, with an eventual option to apply online and have IDs delivered. This will finally allow the government to end the Green ID's status as a legal document.

READ: Home Affairs Partners with FNB & Standard Bank to Expand Smart ID and Passport Services

A Warning Against a "Syndicate Society"

The minister issued a stern warning, stating that South Africa is increasingly becoming a "syndicate society," where corruption has become normalized through concepts like "construction mafias" and "water tanker mafias."

He framed the Home Affairs reforms as a blueprint for the entire state, urging other departments to use their precedent-setting Labour Court ruling that allows for external chairpersons in disciplinary hearings to prevent internal cover-ups.

"The job of political leaders is not only to be seen to be doing something about the symptoms of problems," Schreiber concluded. "It is to actually do something about the systemic causes."