A Home Affairs staffer has been sentenced to 35 years in jail by the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in KwaZulu-Natal for her role in a large-scale counterfeit passport operation.
Judith Salome Zuma was convicted of corruption, fraud, and violating the Identification and Immigration Acts.
Colonel Philani Nkwalase, a spokeswoman for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (often known as Hawks), confirmed Zuma’s arrest on December 13, 2021.
“The meticulous investigation by the Hawks together with the Department of Home Affairs revealed that she was aiding a criminal network outside her jurisdiction at the Richards Bay Home Affairs office, exploiting vulnerable South Africans by luring them with money ranging between R300 and R500 for fingerprints used to obtain illegal passports for foreign nationals. These illicit activities were conducted at the Durban Home Affairs office situated on Commercial Street during the night, weekends, and public holidays,” Nkwalase said.
He claimed the investigation also revealed that Zuma earned R4,000 for each phony passport issued, for a total of R768,000 from 192 bogus passports.
Zuma pled guilty to 1,159 crimes, including a R10,000 payment allegation intended to persuade another Home Affairs official to discontinue an investigation into her.
Zuma received a ten-year sentence for 192 charges of fraud, six years for three acts of corruption, and ten years for 192 crimes of corruptly taking gratification.
She was also sentenced to five years in jail for violating the Identification Act and four years in prison for violating the Immigration Act on 386 separate occasions. She will effectively serve 12 years in prison.
Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, national head of the Hawks, praised the coordinated effort of the Department of Home Affairs, the Hawks, and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), saying the sentence demonstrates a strong stance against corruption.
“This sentence serves as a stern warning to those who corruptly or fraudulently facilitate the influx of foreign nationals in our country,” Lebeya said.
