Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10PRETORIA80
2010-01-14 10:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Pretoria
Cable title:
SOUTH AFRICA FIGHTS RAMPANT PASSPORT FRAUD
how-toVZCZCXRO7763 PP RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR DE RUEHSA #0080 0141029 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 141029Z JAN 10 FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0880 INFO RUEHOR/AMEMBASSY GABORONE 5577 RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE 3943 RUEHTO/AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 6197 RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 2951 RUEHMB/AMEMBASSY MBABANE 4610 RUEHWD/AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK 0007 RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 7501 RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 1567 RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 9857
C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 000080
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
CORRECTED COPY
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 000080
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
CORRECTED COPY
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
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
CORRECTED COPY
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
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