South Africa: Arrest of ID syndicate welcomed
Published: 1/Dec/2014
Source: South African Parliament
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs notes and welcomes media reports about the arrest of a syndicate allegedly issuing fraudulent documents to foreigners seeking South African citizenship. The story in the Sunday Independent, “Fake IDs and weddings all part of false identity fraud”, shows the positive strides made in the ongoing fight against fraud, corruption and identity theft-related crimes.
The Committee further welcomes the collaborative efforts of all law enforcement agencies that contributed to these arrests and is hopeful that such collaborations will continue in efforts to ensure that all cases of fraud, corruption and identity theft are dealt with. The Committee is of the view that such arrests are necessary to achieve the Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) objective of cleaning up the population register and ensuring the security of the country and its civic documents.
The Committee will request a report in the new year from the DHA on the impact the syndicate has had on the population register. Furthermore, the Committee hopes that a full review of all documents produced illegally by this syndicate will be undertaken, with the aim of rendering them invalid. The Committee is further of the view that a thorough investigation should be undertaken to ensure that any DHA officials found to have aided the syndicate will be held accountable.
ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR LEMIAS MASHILE.
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