Durban — A group of foreign nationals, a Home Affairs employee, and a South African man, were all convicted of numerous fraud and corruption charges for running a passport scam.
The group comprised of two Congolese nationals, Mausi Majani Kahwere, 25, and John Majani Kahwere, 44, two Bangladeshi nationals, Morshed Alam, 25, and Saiful Islam Sujon, 43, and 42-year-old South African Oliver Whendle Hurriparsad. The group were convicted on 4 and 5 March in the Durban Magitsrate’s Court, TimesLIVE reported.
“The foreign nationals were arrested between 2021 and 2023 as they were boarding flights to different destinations, already gone through the airport processes,” IOL reported Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale, saying.
“It was reported that during 2021, a Department of Home Affairs official, Judy Zuma operating with a foreign nationals syndicate colluded with South African citizens to assist foreign nationals from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Democratic Republic of Congo to obtain South African passports by using their identity documents and biometrics,” she said.
Zuma pleaded guilty and convicted on 1159 counts of Fraud, Corruption, Contravention of Immigration Act 13 of 2002 and Contravention of Identification Act.
The Congolese nationals will be sentenced on Friday, while the other trio will sentenced on May 21, 2024, while Zuma will be sentenced on 5 April.
Zuma surname👉Judy Zuma operating with a foreign nationals syndicate colluded with South African citizens to assist foreign nationals from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Democratic Republic of Congo to obtain South African passports by using their identity documents and biometrics. ne
— NNE (@NyadzaniNdobe) March 7, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
