The department said it has taken sanctions against errant officials with some being dismissed, suspended without pay or receiving final written warnings.

“These action reflect the department’s intensified commitment to enforcing ethical governance and accelerating disciplinary and criminal sanctions against officials involved in maladministration,” said Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber.

“Our determination to root out corruption is absolute as winning this fight is essential to our vision into turning Home Affairs into a respected and ethical institution that delivers dignity to all our clients.”

The department said two officials; Judy Zuma and Tony Stout have already been dismissed.

Border Management Authority (BMA) official, Dora Ncube, appeared in court on charges relating to allegedly smuggling six foreign nationals into South Africa. She was arrested in Beitbridge and her bail hearing kicked off in a Musina court on Monday.

Another official, was arrested on charges of fraud.

“He is implicated by the Counter-Corruption Branch in multiple fraudulent transactions that benefited mostly Pakistani nationals,” the department said.

“He allegedly conducted this fraud by manipulating the systems Home Affairs uses to administer immigration.”

His case is expected to get under way on November 6.

Schreiber said that officials who failed to heed the message of upholding ethical governance will soon find themselves out on their way to prison.

“These cases make us even more determined to pursue digital transformation to close opportunities for manual and paper-based processes to be exploited towards corrupt ends,” he said.

“Digital transformation holds the key to uprooting corruption in our systems, while enhancing the efficiency of service delivery.”

He added that more arrests are imminent.