HOME AFFAIRS FRAUD PROBE: COPS UNCOVER COUPLE ORGANISING FOREIGNERS

MBABANE - Investigations into the fraudulent activities at the Ministry of Home Affairs, have led the police to a couple, which was reportedly responsible for organising ‘customers’ for the implicated officers.

The investigations have revealed that Sifiso ‘Haizo’ Nkwanyana and his girlfriend, Dumile Matsebula, were co-ordinators, as they would scout for foreign nationals who wanted Eswatini documents. The documents in question include passports, identity documents, birth certificates, citizenship and marriage certificates. For each document, they (foreign nationals) were made to pay various sums of money ranging from E5 000 to E6 500.  It was found that they would smuggle the illegally manufactured documents in stacks out of the country, without being noticed by officials at ports of entry.  Some of the deals between the duo and the foreign nationals, who wanted the Eswatini documents, were allegedly concluded in places of gambling in the Republic of South Africa.

Lavish

It is alleged that Nkwanyana spent part of the money on gambling and to construct a lavish house in Manzini. Information sourced from the Immigration system revealed that Nkwanyana and Dumile left the country on April 16, 2024. The system, according to investigations, shows that Nkwanyana and his girlfriend (Dumile) departed at different intervals. First to depart was Nkwanyana at 3:06pm and then Dumile at 5:55pm on the same day.  This, according to the police, was a clear strategy as they knew that they were suspects in the matter. The couple is reported to have fled the country after learning that police had launched intense investigations into the fraudulent activities at the Ministry of Home Affairs.  

Nkwanyana is said to have relocated to Ireland, while Dumile’s whereabouts remain unknown. She is suspected to be hiding in the Republic of South Africa.  Investigations were conducted into the financial affairs of both Nkwanyana and Dumile. It was found that they were both unemployed.  Employees under the Ministry of Home Affairs were interviewed.  One of those interviewed by the police is Zanele Matsebula, who was previously based at the Deeds Registry in Manzini and later transferred to Ngwenya Border Gate. In her statement, Zanele narrated that in June 2023, she was called by Lungile Mazibuko, her colleague, who requested her to assist Nkwanyana, who needed to stamp passports.  

According to the investigations, Nkwanyana arrived at Ngwenya Border Gate with two international passports. She (Zanele) told the police that she was unable to capture the international passports onto the system, as it reflected that the passports were invalid, so she stamped them manually.   In her sworn statement, Zanele said she thereafter met Nkwanyana near KFC and he paid her E1 000 – being E500 for each document.   Nkwanyana, according to Zanele, came with another passport, which he gave her, but Mazibuko told her not to stamp it as she (Mazibuko) had to see it.   

Mazibuko, who was also based at Ngwenya Border Gate since 2015, was also interviewed by the investigators.  She disclosed that she first came into contact with Nkwanyana when he was introduced to her as Sam Ndlovu’s friend. She narrated to the investigators that Nkwanyana was a regular at Ngwenya Border Gate, where he always went to speak to Ndlovu, who is an employee of Home Affairs and worked the same shift as Mazibuko.  She disclosed that when Ndlovu was transferred to Mbabane (Home Affairs headquarters) around 2022, Nkwanyana requested Mazibuko to stamp his illegally produced passports as they were not recorded in the computer system. She submitted that Nkwanyana would bring international passports with authentic details of emaSwati, but the faces captured would be of foreign nationals. “Nkwanyana would bring up to five passports a day to be stamped. Lungile would stamp the passports and take them to be stamped again on the South African side,” reads part of the statement.

Shared

Nkwanyana reportedly paid Mazibuko E400 per passport, which she shared with her ally on the South African side.  One of Nkwanyana’s customers, Noumbaisisi Bernard Mazarin, was arrested at Ngwenya Border Gate on immigration charges. He was questioned and he deposed to an affidavit, where he narrated how he met Nkwanyana. Mazarin said he met Nkwanyana in 2022, in Johannesburg, at a gambling establishment. In his statement, Mazarin disclosed that after introductions, he requested Nkwanyana to help him to obtain an Eswatini passport.  Nkwanyana, according to Mazarin, offered his services and he (Mazarin) paid him E6 500 in cash.  He said Nkwanyana then took his picture using a cellphone and he got his passport after two weeks. 

He highlighted that the passport had the following information:  Names, Dlamini Mduduzi Ben; Date of Birth: March 2, 1984; PIN 8403266110024 and Passport Number: 40984332.
Mazarin said he used the passport, but would encounter problems at Ngwenya Border Gate as he could not speak siSwati, yet the passport details listed him as a liSwati with the surname Dlamini. Mazarin said he spoke to Nkwanyana, who in turn illegally produced a refugee passport for him.

He alleged that Nkwanyana sent someone to deliver the passport to him in Johannesburg and he (Mazarin) paid him E6 500.  The refugee passport had Mazarin’s full names, photograph, with a PIN, 8403266110024 and passport number 80002513. It mentioned his nationality as Democratic Republic of Congo.  On June 23, 2024, Mazarin entered Eswatini illegally since the passport needed a stamp from Eswatini. On a particular Friday, when leaving Eswatini, Nkwanyana reportedly called Mazarin, asking him to go and collect a parcel from a certain man, who later arrived and gave him a sealed envelope. Later, the envelope was found containing six Swati national identity cards. As the investigations continued, police uncovered that Nkwanyana introduced a woman to Mazibuko, who he referred to as his wife.

The woman would, thereafter, allegedly bring the illegally manufactured passports to Mazibuko for stamping.  She reportedly brought between two to five passports each time and paid E400. Investigations later revealed Dumile and Nkwanyana later disappeared. Nkwanyana and Dumile are said to have resurfaced mid 2023. Nkwanyana is said to have allegedly brought one or two passports once a month or once in two months and Dumile would reportedly bring between two to five passports at a single time to be stamped. Her passports were reportedly illegally manufactured by Mboneni Zwane, who reportedly later collected the stamped passports.

Lungile, as per the investigations, would also collect the illegally manufactured passports from Zwane at the Home Affairs headquarters parking lot in Mbabane.Zwane, a Home Affairs employee who was arrested and charged with 26 counts of fraud, theft and money laundering, reportedly paid Lungile E500 for each passport. Zwane is said to have introduced one Delight Dube to Mazibuko, with instructions to give him (Dube) passports brought by Dumile after stamping.  Dumile is said to have started bringing the passports to Mazibuko’s house and once stamped, she would give them to Dube. Dube reportedly paid Mazibuko E700 for each passport.

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