22 passports, R2 100 cash: border official arrested at Maseru gate

A 56-year-old Border Management Authority official stationed at the Maseru Port of Entry on the Lesotho border has been arrested and is expected to appear in the Ladybrand Magistrate’s Court on charges related to corruption, possession of passports without lawful authority and immigration offences.

The BMA Commissioner, Dr Michael Masiapato, confirmed the arrest. At the time, the official was allegedly found in possession of 22 stamped passports belonging to Lesotho nationals, although the lawful holders were not present, as well as R2 100 in cash.

The operation was initiated after the State Security Agency provided information about several passports belonging to Lesotho nationals that had been placed under monitoring. Intelligence indicated that the passports had allegedly been transported from Limpopo to Ladybrand to be stamped unlawfully, thereby extending the holders’ visa validity and stay in the Republic of South Africa without their being physically present, as required by law.

The arrest followed an intelligence-driven operation conducted by the BMA Integrity Management Unit, the Department of Home Affairs Counter Corruption Unit, the South African Police Service Ladybrand Detectives and K9 Unit, and Crime Intelligence Free State.

It came just over 10 days after the fifth instalment of the Anti-Corruption Awareness Campaign, hosted under the auspices of the Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum at OR Tambo International Airport.

The investigation is ongoing, and further arrests have not been ruled out.

Masiapato said the BMA was established to address longstanding challenges related to illegal migration and corruption within the border management ecosystem, and that South Africa is beginning to see the tangible benefits of the BMA leadership’s firm and uncompromising stance against corruption.

The authority is currently finalising more than 60 labour relations and disciplinary cases involving breaches of internal controls, fraud, corruption and other misconduct affecting organisational integrity. In the past three months, 17 officials have been dismissed from the BMA, and more dismissals are expected, Masiapato said.

He said the Border Management Authority remains committed to combating corruption and safeguarding the integrity of South Africa’s ports of entry, and that it will continue to work closely with law enforcement and security agencies to detect and investigate unlawful conduct and ensure that officials involved are prosecuted.

Since the BMA was established three years ago, several officials have been arrested under Masiapato’s leadership and direction, the authority said.

This report is based on the account published by SAnews (South African Government News Agency). The original item is at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/bma-official-arrested-fraud-and-corruption. SAnews is a summary of the official record rather than the court record itself, and the charges against the official have not been tested in court.