HOME AFFAIRS CORRUPTION WIDENS: PASTOR'S WIFE ARREST WARRANT ISSUED

MANZINI - The Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) investigation into corrupt activities within the Ministry of Home Affairs has widened.

A warrant of arrest has been issued against an assistant immigration officer, who is the wife of a prominent pastor. The warrant also authorises the ACC investigators to enter and search the premises, and to seize electronic devices belonging to the assistant immigration officer.

This development signifies that the probe is far from over, as it continues to uncover fraudulent activities within the ministry.

The warrant, issued by Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala, followed an application by the ACC detailing the officer’s alleged involvement in the unlawful issuance of Class A and Class F entry permits to foreign nationals.

Employment

A Class A entry permit is issued to a foreign national who intends to assume employment in the Kingdom of Eswatini, while a Class F entry permit is issued to a foreign national who is a registered director of a local company registered and licensed in terms of the country’s company laws.

The immigration officer who is well- known in the social circles will not be named pending the execution of the warrant.

She is accused of allegedly abusing her access to the Home Affairs system for personal gain. The investigation was triggered by an incident on September 13, 2024, in Manzini city, where a police officer observed a Pakistani national handling a large number of foreign passports.

Upon inspection, the officer discovered copies of Eswatini entry permits and passports stamped with Eswatini entry stamps, but crucially, some passports lacked Eswatini Immigration border entry stamps, raising immediate suspicion.

Further investigation revealed that between July 23 and August 5, 2024, the implicated officer allegedly used her user code to access the Kingdom of Eswatini system, acknowledging an entry application for a Pakistani national, declaring it complete, inputting that it was approved by the Entry Permit Committee, and then printing the entry permit.

She also allegedly falsely stated that the individual was employed as a manager at a local shop. The ACC’s investigation revealed several critical irregularities: The application was not vetted by the police, it was not referred to the Localisation Department, it was not considered or approved by the Entry Permit Committee, and the company where the individual was supposedly employed was not licensed by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade.

The officer is alleged to have employed the same modus operandi to issue documents to another Pakistani national, who was also deemed ineligible for an entry permit.

Unlawful

The ACC asserts that these actions constituted an unlawful advantage for foreign nationals. This arrest warrant further highlights the widespread corruption within the Ministry of Home Affairs, as this investigation is part of a larger probe that saw the chief justice issue warrants against eight Home Affairs employees recently, as the ACC and the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) continue to dismantle a syndicate dealing in fraudulent documentation.

The initial investigation, which began in 2022, revealed a syndicate charging between E30 000 and E50 000 for fraudulent refugee status and passports, leading to the transfer of over 100 immigration officers and the government’s plan to install a E3.9 million security surveillance system. The ongoing investigation has already resulted in the arrests of individuals like Delight Moyo, a Zimbabwean national suspected of acting as a middleman, Assistant Immigration Officer Mboneni Nkosinathi Zwane, who faces 26 charges and Benjamin Mensah Larbi from Ghana. The ACC has also uncovered a South African syndicate manufacturing government documents and a pattern of civil servants operating from their residences, selling documents like birth certificates, IDs and passports. If the pastor’s wife is arrested, she will be the 16th Home Affairs employee apprehended in connection with these fraudulent activities, with some already on bail and others facing ongoing trials.

The ACC’s investigation into 250 cases, including this one, continues to expose the deep-seated corruption within the ministry.

Adding to the international scope of these crimes, an Ethiopian national wanted in Eswatini for fraud, theft and corruption, Kadebe Shanko Abose was arrested in South Africa earlier this year, highlighting the transnational nature of these criminal networks.

Investigation

The ongoing investigation into corrupt activities in the Ministry of Home Affairs has led to the arrest of more than 10 officials for allegedly violating her legal duties.

Busiswa Sibiya, who has served 17 years at the ministry, is accused of having directly or indirectly given or agreed to give one purported Sonkhe Magongo, and any other person, an advantage in the registration of a personal identification number (9702106100946). Her actions have been viewed as an abuse of her position of authority and a breach of trust.

The Crown applied for Sibiya to be remanded in custody until March 7, 2025, pending the setting of a trial date. However, through her lawyer, Phathaphatha Mdluli, Sibiya applied for bail.

She stated that she is liSwati, born and raised at Siphocosini in the Hhohho Region, and claimed she does not have any relatives in South Africa, asserting that she is not a flight risk.

Sibiya informed the court that she could not afford to lose her pension after serving in the Ministry of Home Affairs for 17 years. She mentioned that she currently resides in a government house in Mbabane.

Regarding her personal circumstances, she told the court that she is a mother of two, who depend solely on her, and she has other dependents in addition to her children. She implored the court to exercise its discretion when granting bail, noting that she is only facing one count, which has been split into three.

In response, the Crown stated that, although bail was not opposed, the bail amount should be fixed at the same level as that for the other accused persons facing similar charges.

Admitted

The Crown informed the court that the other accused persons were admitted to bail fixed at E6 000 each, and had been ordered to report to the nearest police station on the last Friday of the month.

“The other accused persons were ordered to surrender their travel documents to the investigating officer and warned against applying for others,” the Crown submitted.

In response to the Crown, Mdluli contended that there were very few precedents for the court to rely on, as bail is circumstantial. He argued that his client was only facing one count with no monetary value attached.

He insisted that the bail application should be considered in relation to his client alone, not the other accused persons.

Mdluli argued that the bail amount for the other accused persons was granted based on their personal circumstances, which differ from those of his client, and that the monetary value attached to the bail should be at the discretion of the court.

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