Identity documents, birth certificates and asylum seekers’ permits could be easily purchased, an South African Broadcasting Corporation documentary aired on
Tuesday revealed.
An investigator for Special Assignment managed to buy five IDs, temporary IDs, birth certificates and temporary asylum seekers’ permits — 11 documents in total — for R10 000 for his Zimbabwean domestic worker.
The documents were bought at home affairs offices in Johannesburg, Germiston, Tshwane, Nelspruit, Pietermaritzburg and Durban. In all six cases the documents were obtained through agents who had connections with home affairs employees, and who canvassed potential clients outside home affairs offices.
Prices ranged from R650 for an ID to R1 800 for a temporary ID and ID.
Interviewed by Special Assignment, home affairs’ director of identification Gert Reyneke said: ”I think here we are dealing with a very small group of people working together with maybe syndicates from outside.”
Asked whether corrupt officials inside home affairs were involved, he said: ”It could be”.
He pointed out that only six home affairs offices had been visited, while there were more than 250 countrywide.
Chief executive of personal credential verification company Kroll, Ina van der Merwe, said one in four IDs could be fraudulently issued.
All but one of the documents Special Assignment purchased were valid when Kroll ran them through its computers.
Hennie van Vuuren, from the Institute of Security Studies, said: ”South Africans probably rank home affairs with traffic officials, amongst others, as being those that are most likely to be the most corrupt.” – Sapa