For the past two years Corruption Watch, with a number of partners, has been investigating corruption in the immigration section of the Home Affairs department.

We found that there are numerous opportunities for corruption in the Home Affairs refugee system, which is suffering as a result of these opportunities being exploited to the full. Our investigation included interviews with reporters, onsite visits, and a sting operation that exposed at least three operatives. We have opened criminal cases against those three implicated persons at the Johannesburg Central police station (case numbers: 934/11/16; 935/11/16 and 936/11/16).

“Corruption in the immigration process not only violates the human rights of foreign nationals genuinely seeking safe-haven from war and persecution in their home countries,” said our chairperson Mavuso Msimang, “it also opens up opportunities for economic migrants to bribe their way into the asylum system. This fuels a dangerous preconception that all foreign nationals – whether they have genuine legal protection needs or not – are taking advantage of our country’s resources.”

Report by Corruption Watch