Parliament, Wednesday, 18 March 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has welcomed the briefing it received from the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) on the interim report on corruption within the Department of Home Affairs. It was also briefed on the implementation of measures to address this corruption by the department’s Counter Corruption Investigating Unit (CCIU) and the Multidisciplinary Task Team (MDTT).
In welcoming progress made in uncovering corruption and fraud and the actions taken to hold implicated officials accountable in the department, the committee called for increased speed in investigations and disciplinary processes.
Committee members reiterated their condemnation of the large-scale corruption on the part of Department of Home Affairs officials who work in cahoots with external criminal syndicates to sell documents, including visas. They called for those officials who are found guilty of corruption to be blacklisted from working in other organs of state.
The committee warned that corruption in the department undermines national security, governance and the rule of law. Fraud and corruption in the immigration system not only compromise border integrity but also place additional pressure on South Africa’s financial resources, infrastructure and public services.
The SIU assured the committee that strict measures are in place to ensure that consequences management is applied.
The CCIU and MDTT also assured the committee that strong mechanisms have been put in place as a consequence of the investigations to ensure that the department is secure from future threats from corruption.
The committee noted that one of the key impediments to quicker investigations is the lack of integration between critical departmental system interfaces. It therefore called on the department to urgently accelerate its digital transformation programme, which will strengthen internal controls, improve detection of irregularities and enable faster retrieval of information during investigations.
The committee also noted that the findings of the SIU investigation and the Lubisi report highlight the urgent need for sweeping reforms within the permitting unit, which will require an adequate budget to achieve. Some of the department’s weaknesses are due to budgetary constraints, the committee acknowledged. It also reiterated its long-standing call for the urgent strengthening of the CCIU.
The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Mosa Chabane, said the committee will in the next quarter initiate a joint meeting with the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, and the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour to share information on the issues identified by the SIU, the CCIU and the MDTT.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR MOSA CHABANE.
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