Home Affairs ‘systematically rooting out corruption’, Schreiber says

Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber said his department is “systematically rooting out corruption wherever it exists in Home Affairs” after the arrest of two former department officials and four members of the public in an alleged late birth‑registration fraud case.

Arrests and allegations

According to The Citizen, the two former officials and four members of the public were arrested in connection with alleged fraud and corruption relating to the irregular issuance of a late registration of births. The two suspects, aged 37 and 40, were handcuffed on Sunday, 26 July 2026, by the Hawks’ Anti‑Corruption Unit in Thohoyandou following a Department of Home Affairs Counter Corruption investigation into an incident allegedly committed on 10 July 2019 at the Malamulele office.

It is alleged that a Home Affairs official attached to the Births and Deaths Registration Section unlawfully facilitated the issuance of late registration of birth certificates for two children without complying with the prescribed legal procedures. The accused appeared in the Malamulele Magistrate’s Court and remain in custody, with a formal bail application scheduled for 4 August 2026, The Citizen reported.

Minister’s remarks and wider figures

Speaking to recent developments, Minister Schreiber welcomed the arrests and set them in the context of wider action against corrupt officials.

“This brings the total number of Department of Home Affairs officials arrested since the start of the seventh administration to 36, alongside 9 successful convictions, 65 dismissals, and 195 criminal cases opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS).”

“We are systematically rooting out corruption wherever it exists in Home Affairs. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will relentlessly pursue anyone who seeks to undermine the integrity of our systems and ensure they face the full consequences of the law,”

Schreiber said, according to The Citizen.

Department response

Minister Schreiber’s spokesperson, Carli van Wyk, thanked the Hawks and the Department’s Counter Corruption unit for their partnership in investigating and combating corruption. The Citizen quoted van Wyk as saying:

“The Department of Home Affairs remains unwavering in its commitment to rooting out corruption, protecting the integrity of South Africa’s identity system and holding accountable anyone who seeks to undermine it.”

What happens next

The accused will remain in custody ahead of the scheduled bail application on 4 August 2026, and the matter will proceed through the Malamulele Magistrate’s Court, The Citizen reported.