Cape Town — An official from the Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) Department of Home Affairs, Judith Zuma, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for her involvement in a fraudulent passport scheme.
Zuma was sentenced by the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
An investigation by the Hawks and the Department found her guilty of facilitating a criminal network and operating outside of jurisdiction at the Richards Bay Home Affairs office, SABC News reported.
Zuma had paid South African citizens to give their fingerprints for the creation of illegal passports for foreign nationals from Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The South African citizens gave their data to the foreigners, who replaced the original photos with their own and assumed South African identities. Her arrest came after a Home Affairs investigation found her collaborating with a foreign national syndicate.
“She was aiding a criminal network outside her jurisdiction at Richards Bay Home Affairs office, exploited vulnerable South Africans by luring them with money ranging between R300 and R500 for fingerprints used to obtain passports for foreign nationals,” the report quoted Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Philani Nkwalase, as saying.
JudithZuma exploited vulnerable South Africans by luring them with money ranging between R300 and R500 for fingerprints [which were] used to obtain illegal passports for foreign nationals….yet those Passports are valid ..@Leon_Schreib https://t.co/a8zAOmwFPS
— Mulimisi Abel Mafoho (@abelmafhoho) August 2, 2024
According to IOL, Nkwalase said Zuma was arrested in December 2021 and found, with further probes, that Zuma received R4 000 for each fake passport issued and received a total of R769 000 from 192 passports.
She pleaded guilty to all 1 159 charges against her, which included a R10 000 gratification charge for influencing another Home Affairs official to drop the investigation against her.
Zuma was sentenced to 10 years for 192 counts of fraud, six years for three counts of corruption and another 10 years for 192 counts of corruptly accepting gratification.
She received another five years for 385 counts of contravening the Identification Act and four years of the 386 counts of contravening the Immigration Act. She will serve an effective 12 years imprisonment.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
