**📰 Durban Passport Fraud Bust: Hawks Arrest Five Linked to Syndicate** **By TimesLIVE | 14 June 2025 | #sanews #newsdaily #googlenews #encanews #sowetannews #internationalnews**

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In a major breakthrough against corruption, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) arrested five suspects in Durban on Saturday, 14 June 2025, in connection with a large-scale passport fraud syndicate.


The arrests stem from a long-running investigation into the illegal issuance of South African passports to undocumented foreign nationals. The criminal operation allegedly involved employees of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), local citizens, and foreign nationals working in collusion.


Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale confirmed that the arrests followed multiple warrants issued after an intensive probe led by the Hawks' Serious Corruption Investigation Unit. The investigation was triggered by a formal complaint from the DHA regarding suspicious passport applications.


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### **Syndicate Unmasked**


Between February 2020 and July 2023, corrupt officials and facilitators reportedly operated outside official working hours — including evenings, weekends, and public holidays — at DHA offices in Durban. The Commercial Street, Isipingo, Durban Central, and Eshowe branches were particularly targeted.


Local South African citizens were allegedly paid between **R300 and R1,000** to lend their identities for fraudulent passport processing. In return, foreign nationals received official South African documents illegally.


“This operation clearly reflects systemic abuse of government resources, where citizens were recruited to fake identity applications for illegal gain,” said Mogale.


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### **Court Date Set**


The five suspects — arrested in different areas around Durban — face charges including **corruption**, **fraud**, and **contraventions of the Immigration and Identification Acts**. They are scheduled to appear before the **Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Durban on Tuesday**.


These arrests add to an ongoing crackdown on identity fraud. To date, **38 individuals** — including **seven DHA officials** — have been arrested since September 2022. Of these, **24 have already been convicted**, collectively receiving **310 years of imprisonment**.


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### **A Growing National Concern**


This case highlights the broader challenge of identity fraud in South Africa. In an earlier related case, a former state prosecutor was arrested in Johannesburg for scamming jobseekers out of R10,000 each by falsely promising them employment.


Police corruption and violent crime also remain top priorities, with **11 police officers killed in Gauteng alone in the first quarter of 2025**, according to Provincial Commissioner Lt-Gen Tommy Mthombeni.


The Hawks have, however, celebrated some wins — rewarding top officers for securing convictions against senior officials involved in qualifications fraud and other white-collar crimes.


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