The names of Department of Home Affairs officials found to have been corrupt or to have committed serious acts of misconduct were released by the department on Monday.
Sixty-six officials were dismissed between April last year and June this year for serious acts of misconduct, Minister of Home Affairs Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said in Pretoria on Monday at the release of a report on the cases.
”We are pleased to announce that Moufe Grace Mudau and Mr Prince Maluleka … who were captured in a hidden videotape committing acts of corruption, have been dismissed following the conclusion of an internal investigation on the matter,” she said.
The two were apparently captured in an exposé broadcast in February by the television programme Special Assignment.
”Another case worth highlighting is that of Mr Tokelo David Machitjie, an immigration official who was based at our Maseru Bridge border post,” she said.
Machitjie allegedly demanded a bribe from a Lesotho national en route to Lesotho, because he suspected her documents were fraudulent.
”When she indicated she did not have money, he solicited sexual favours, assaulted her and sexually harassed her at the Maseru border post.”
Mapisa-Nqakula expressed regret about the incident towards the woman’s family and for the damage done to diplomatic relations between South Africa and the landlocked kingdom.
She said Machitjie has since been dismissed.
A murder case against Eliot Maseko, who worked at the department’s Hazyview offices in Mpumalanga, is pending, she said.
Maseko was dismissed for allegedly killing a member of the public on the premises in December 2003 and for carrying a firearm on state premises without written authorisation.
Steven Tama Letsoalo was dismissed for demanding R8 000 and threatening to cancel the passport and permanent-residence permit of a member of the public.
Between April last year and June this year, the department issued 54 written warnings, 40 final written warnings, 34 verbal warnings and three demotions.
The minister said most of the cases of corruption and misconduct related to fraud, misappropriation of state funds, aiding and abetting illegal immigrants, the illegal issuing of documents and assault.
”Given our commitment to rehabilitate our staff to become productive and focused in their work, we have counselled 40 officials with a view to assisting them to change their behaviour prior to instituting formal disciplinary measures,” she said.
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba said the department itself is not corrupt but that ”pockets of corruption” exist. He said trends of corrupt practices are being monitored.
”We will flush you out!” was his message to officials he called ”corruption practitioners”.
He said preventative measures exist to discourage such groups and individuals from taking part in corruption, apart from the dismissals, suspensions and counselling.
”IT systems are in place in the department to discourage corruption. There is also training and retraining of officials,” Gigaba said.
He said education is the best investment the department can make in its officials. — Sapa