The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is cracking down on corruption within its ranks and finalised 31 disciplinary cases between July and September 2024, some of which resulted in criminal prosecution and dismissal.One such individual, Mogale Raseone is set to have his trial start on 6 November. He is facing charges of fraud after being dismissed from the DHA in 2023 for manipulating department systems to fraudulently administer immigration for foreign nationalsIn a statement, the department said the crackdown reflects its commitment to eradicating maladministration.It notes that officials faced charges for violating the Citizen and Immigration Acts and irregularly recruiting new staff, with eight cases coming out of the Free State and six out of KwaZulu-Natal.We have zero tolerance for unethical conduct or corruption, said DHA Minister Leon Schreiber.As our accelerated action against errant conduct demonstrates, officials who fail to heed this message will soon find themselves out of Home Affairs and on their way to prison.In Raseones case, the DHAs Counter-Corruption Branch implicated him in various fraudulent transactions that primarily benefitted Pakistani nationals.He allegedly conducted this fraud by manipulating the systems Home Affairs uses to administer immigration, the DHA said.Another official, Dora Ncube, is awaiting her day in court. The suspended Border Management Authority official was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle six foreign nationals into South Africa in Beitbridge.Schreiber said these kinds of cases further motivate the need for digital transformation in the department.Digital transformation holds the key to uprooting corruption in our systems while enhancing the efficiency of service delivery, he said.These disciplinary procedures follow the recent conviction of two former DHA officials, Judy Zuma and Tony Stout, who were arrested for identity documentation fraud.In early August 2024, Schreiber welcomed Zumas sentencing. Zuma was involved in a syndicate that produced and delivered fraudulent passports to foreigners who did not qualify for them.The former DHA official was paid R4,000 per passport. Her arrest came during a sting operation during which she tried to bribe a DHA Counter-Corruption office with R10,000.Zuma was found to have processed 192 passports between 28 May and 12 June 2021. She received a 12-year prison sentence.A week after Zumas sentencing, former DHA clerk Stout was sentenced to five years in prison after being charged with nine counts of fraud and nine counts of violating the Identification Act.He has already been dismissed from the department. He committed his crimes while he was stationed at the Cleary Park office in Gqeberha, said Schreiber.Green ID book fraud problem According to a report from leading digital identity verification and fraud detection firm Smile ID, South Africas green identity booklets are popular targets for fraudsters in Africa.Its Digital Identity Fraud report for 2024 shows that Know-Your-Customer checks had flagged fraud in 34% of the cases where South African ID books were used to access various services.Smile ID said national IDs are frequently targeted as they are the most common form of identification and are mandatory for most adults.South Africa is moving away from the old format of green ID books and replacing them with smart ID cards, which should help to prevent this kind of fraud.The smart ID cards have improved anti-fraud features, including a microchip to securely store biometric information, which can then be verified without needing to be linked to a central database.Physical security measures include holograms, laser engraving, and personal details.The process of transitioning South Africans to smart ID cards has dragged on far longer than initially anticipated, and it will likely still be years before the government can invalidate the green ID books.However, several recent key smart ID card issuing developments suggest that the transition could be accelerating.