Pietermaritzburg – Malusi Mlondo (34), a Home Affairs Department employee from Pietermaritzburg, has been arrested by the Hawks in connection with a passport fraud scheme. Mlondo allegedly sold South African passports to foreign nationals, using the identity document numbers of South African citizens. The investigation uncovered that he charged up to R3 000 or more for each passport.
Mlondo was arrested after an extensive investigation, which revealed that he was involved in selling these forged documents to foreign nationals. He made a brief appearance in court last Friday and was remanded in custody, with his next appearance scheduled for Monday in the Durban Commercial Crimes Court.
The investigation, led by the Hawks, also resulted in the arrest of some foreign nationals who were implicated in the fraudulent passport operation. Some of these individuals have already been sentenced, while others are facing pending charges.
Mlondo is facing 33 counts of fraud, corruption, and violations of the Immigration Act. The investigation is ongoing, and the authorities have warned that further arrests may be imminent.