Home Affairs ‘systematically rooting out corruption,’ Schreiber says

The Hawks have arrested two suspects in Musina over alleged fraud and corruption in the unlawful processing of late birth registrations. Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said his department is “systematically rooting out corruption wherever it exists in Home Affairs.” This comes after two former Department of Home Affairs officials and four members of the public were arrested in connection with alleged fraud and corruption relating to the irregular issuance of a late registration of births. The two suspects, aged 37 and 40, were handcuffed on Sunday, 26 July 2026, by the Hawks’ Anti‑Corruption Unit in Thohoyandou following a Department of Home Affairs Counter Corruption investigation into an incident allegedly committed on 10 July 2019 at the Malamulele office. Birth certificates It is alleged that a Home Affairs official attached to the Births and Deaths Registration Section unlawfully facilitated the issuance of late registration of birth certificates for two children without complying with the prescribed legal procedures. The accused appeared in the Malamulele Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of fraud and corruption. They remain in custody, with a formal bail application scheduled for 4 August 2026. Rooting out corruption Schreiber has welcomed the arrest of the officials. “This brings the total number of Department of Home Affairs officials arrested since the start of the seventh administration to 36, alongside 9 successful convictions, 65 dismissals, and 195 criminal cases opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS). “We are systematically rooting out corruption wherever it exists in Home Affairs. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will relentlessly pursue anyone who seeks to undermine the integrity of our systems and ensure they face the full consequences of the law,” Schreiber said. Schreiber said every arrest strengthens the integrity of South Africa’s identity system and advances our mission to build a modern, ethical, and professional Home Affairs. Commitment The minister’s spokesperson, Carli van Wyk, said Schreiber thanked the Hawks and the Department’s Counter Corruption unit for their continued partnership in investigating and combating corruption. “The Department of Home Affairs remains unwavering in its commitment to rooting out corruption, protecting the integrity of South Africa’s identity system and holding accountable anyone who seeks to undermine it.”