FORMER HOME AFFAIRS EMPLOYEE FOUND GUILTY

Tholithemba Malusi Mlondo (34), an accused was found guilty yesterday, 01 October 2026 in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court which is evident of the ongoing efforts in the Serious Corruption Investigation’s fight against unlawful activities that are plaguing the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in the country.

The accused was found guilty on charges relating to corruption, fraud, and contraventions of the Identification Act and Immigration Act.

The charges are related to activities which took place between February 2022 and July 2023, wherein a group of South African citizens allegedly facilitated the fraudulent acquisition of South African passports by foreign nationals at DHA office in Pietermaritzburg.

These unlawful activities took place outside of regular business hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, when the DHA offices were officially closed.

These unlawful activities resulted in a case being opened for investigation by Serious Corruption Investigation.

The accused has been in custody since his arrest.

The accused was found guilty on the following counts:

1.Sixty-six (66) counts of fraud
2.Sixty-six (66) counts of corruption
3.Sixty-six (66) counts of Contravention of the Immigration Act
4.Sixty-six (66) counts of Contravention of the Identification Act.

The matter was postponed to 13 November 2026 for pre-sentencing report and the accused was remanded in custody.