Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10PRETORIA72
2010-01-13 10:09:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Pretoria
Cable title:
SOUTH AFRICA FIGHTS RAMPANT PASSPORT FRAUD
how-toVZCZCXRO6616 PP RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR DE RUEHSA #0072 0131009 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 131009Z JAN 10 FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0870 INFO RUEHOR/AMEMBASSY GABORONE 5576 RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE 3942 RUEHTO/AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 6196 RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 2950 RUEHMB/AMEMBASSY MBABANE 4609 RUEHWD/AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK 0006 RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 7495 RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 1561 RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 9851
C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 000072
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2020
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF CVIS SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA FIGHTS RAMPANT PASSPORT FRAUD
REF: A. 09 PRETORIA 2589
B. 09 PRETORIA 2622
Classified By: DCM Helen LaLime for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 000072
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2020
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF CVIS SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA FIGHTS RAMPANT PASSPORT FRAUD
REF: A. 09 PRETORIA 2589
B. 09 PRETORIA 2622
Classified By: DCM Helen LaLime for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (SBU) As noted in post's 2009 Terrorism Report (ref A),
South Africa has a poor record of document security with
respect to passports issued by its Department of Home Affairs
(DHA). The high incidence of genuine documents fraudulently
issued to non-nationals prompted the U.K. to impose a visa
regime on South Africa last year. Home Affairs Minister
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma aims to confront the problem, however.
Since shortly after her appointment in May 2009, she has
candidly acknowledged corruption and other dysfunction within
DHA, and she has energetically continued her predecessor's
"Turnaround" project to improve process and systems controls
and eliminate fraud (ref B).
2. (SBU) Stepping up this campaign, DHA launched a
post-Christmas blitz to collect fraudulent passports.
Newspapers reported that as many as 80 passports a day
suspected of being fraudulent were confiscated from travelers
entering the single port of entry at Beitbridge, Zimbabwe.
The other border post of focus was Lebombo, Mozambique.
(Zimbabwe and Mozambique are by far the greatest sources of
migrant workers to South Africa.) Persons whose passports
were seized were questioned by border officers. According to
DHA Deputy Director General Jackie MacKay, "most" such
individuals intercepted by Home Affairs did admit their
passports were fraudulent. Others were issued with summonses
to appear for interviews at DHA centers, as an opportunity to
prove their citizenship.
3. (C) Comment: one press article refers to "dodgy"
passports. Post conoffs believe this description is
misleading, since in their experience the problem is rather
one of genuine passports obtained on the basis of fraudulent
supporting documents and/or irregular issuance practices by
(probably bribed) DHA officials. Conoffs reason that if the
documents confiscated at Beitbridge were patently fake, the
bearers would be denied entry; whereas in these cases bearers
who continued to assert citizenship under questioning were
admitted and given tickets to appear later to prove their
claims. End comment.
GIPS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2020
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF CVIS SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA FIGHTS RAMPANT PASSPORT FRAUD
REF: A. 09 PRETORIA 2589
B. 09 PRETORIA 2622
Classified By: DCM Helen LaLime for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (SBU) As noted in post's 2009 Terrorism Report (ref A),
South Africa has a poor record of document security with
respect to passports issued by its Department of Home Affairs
(DHA). The high incidence of genuine documents fraudulently
issued to non-nationals prompted the U.K. to impose a visa
regime on South Africa last year. Home Affairs Minister
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma aims to confront the problem, however.
Since shortly after her appointment in May 2009, she has
candidly acknowledged corruption and other dysfunction within
DHA, and she has energetically continued her predecessor's
"Turnaround" project to improve process and systems controls
and eliminate fraud (ref B).
2. (SBU) Stepping up this campaign, DHA launched a
post-Christmas blitz to collect fraudulent passports.
Newspapers reported that as many as 80 passports a day
suspected of being fraudulent were confiscated from travelers
entering the single port of entry at Beitbridge, Zimbabwe.
The other border post of focus was Lebombo, Mozambique.
(Zimbabwe and Mozambique are by far the greatest sources of
migrant workers to South Africa.) Persons whose passports
were seized were questioned by border officers. According to
DHA Deputy Director General Jackie MacKay, "most" such
individuals intercepted by Home Affairs did admit their
passports were fraudulent. Others were issued with summonses
to appear for interviews at DHA centers, as an opportunity to
prove their citizenship.
3. (C) Comment: one press article refers to "dodgy"
passports. Post conoffs believe this description is
misleading, since in their experience the problem is rather
one of genuine passports obtained on the basis of fraudulent
supporting documents and/or irregular issuance practices by
(probably bribed) DHA officials. Conoffs reason that if the
documents confiscated at Beitbridge were patently fake, the
bearers would be denied entry; whereas in these cases bearers
who continued to assert citizenship under questioning were
admitted and given tickets to appear later to prove their
claims. End comment.
GIPS