Former DHA Official Zuma Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Role In Fake Passport Syndicate

Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber praised the Durban Commercial Crime Court for sentencing Judy Zuma, a former Home Affairs official, to 12 years in prison.

Zuma was involved in a scheme that provided fake passports to people who weren't eligible for them. The Minister said this sentence is a major win in the battle against organized corruption.

"The message sent by this conviction is crystal clear: if you engage in corruption, we will find you and we will pursue you until you are locked up. We will not rest until we have cleansed the scourge of corruption from the face of Home Affairs," Schreiber said, SA News reported.

The Minister said this sentence should mark the beginning of a strict no-tolerance approach to corruption. Schreiber emphasized that tackling corruption is especially important in the Home Affairs department because it plays a key role in national security.

Zuma has been given a 12-year prison sentence, with an additional 24 years suspended. She was initially caught in a sting operation when she tried to bribe a Home Affairs anti-corruption officer with R10,000.

The court confirmed that Zuma - convicted of several crimes - was part of a group that issued fake passports to foreign nationals who didn't qualify for them.

Zuma was found to have processed 192 fake passports for foreign nationals who weren't eligible for them between May 28 and June 12, 2021. She received R4,000 for each passport. She left the department in December 2021 after facing internal disciplinary actions.

The department has flagged all the affected passports. This means anyone trying to use these fake documents at a border will be arrested immediately.

"So far, two foreign nationals have already been locked away, serving time for their involvement in this corrupt scheme. Another two were sentenced to four years imprisonment [on Friday]," the department said.

Zuma is said to have been recruited into the scheme by another former Home Affairs official, Zima Shange, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in October 2023.

"I am repulsed by the actions of Zuma and other members of such syndicates, who cheapen our documents, threaten our security, and undermine the work done by committed Home Affairs officials," Schreiber said.