Home Affairs official in hot water for selling passports to foreigners for R3,000

Malusi Mlondo’s weekend took an unexpected turn as the 34-year-old former employee of the Department of Home Affairs found himself behind bars.

News24 reports that the arrest came as a result of a joint operation conducted by the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation, commonly known as Hawks, and members of the Home Affairs Counter Corruption unit.

Mlondo, who previously worked at the Pietermaritzburg office of the Department of Home Affairs, allegedly engaged in fraudulent activities, processing illegal passports for foreign nationals.

According to KZN Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo, Mlondo is accused of accepting payments of up to R3,000 per fraudulent document, a lucrative scheme that exploited the vulnerabilities within the system.

Providing further insight into the investigation, Captain Mhlongo disclosed that Mlondo used the personal details of South African citizens in conjunction with the identity photos of foreign nationals to perpetrate the fraud.

The severity of the offense prompted the reporting of a case of fraud and corruption at the Durban Central police station, leading to the allocation of the case dockets to Hawks members for thorough investigation.

Mlondo’s brief appearance in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court marked the beginning of his legal proceedings.

He was remanded in custody with the case postponed to Monday, May 6, 2024, for a bail application.


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