Home Affairs intensifies fight against fraud, corruption

Pretoria - The Department of Home Affairs has stepped up efforts to fight fraud and corruption among its employees with the installation of integrated electronic security systems in 47of its offices.

Home Affairs Deputy Minister Fatima Chohan said this was part of the department's commitment to push back the frontiers of fraud and corruption when she responded to questions in the National Council of Provinces in Cape Town on Tuesday.

The recently installed system at the department's head office in Pretoria has the capacity to monitor the attendance as well as arrival and departure of officials. Apart from monitoring staff, the security system also detects illegal and corrupt activities.

The installation of this technology is aimed at, amongst other things:
- protecting assets, information and employees, 
- augmenting the human resource capacity utilised for physical security purposes at the offices, and
- detecting illicit activities by both members of the public and employees of the department, while on department premises.

The department is in the process of rolling out these systems to all of its offices. The roll out will, however, be determined by budget resources.

Chohan said that 20 employees had so far been suspended for fraud and corruption in the 2011/12 financial year.

They are facing charges such as soliciting bribes from illegal foreigners in exchange for the endorsement of passports with fraudulent visas and permits, altering information or residential status on the department's Movement Control System, and aiding and abetting illegal foreigners.

Some officials have been found in possession of identity documents, without permission, outside the department's offices. - BuaNews