Zimbabwean lays complaint with police against Home Affairs official

Tatenda Chiguni (not his real name) also claims that his asylum document, which was processed after he laid the charges, was altered from its original state. The altered asylum document includes a condition stating that he should leave South Africa by 11 November 2012 or lodge an appeal. It is unusual for asylum documents to include this condition upon renewal.

Chiguni believes that the Home Affairs official has changed the conditions of his new asylum document so that he gets deported and cannot pursue the bribery case against him.

SAPS Western Cape Media Centre confirmed that Chiguni brought charges of bribery against this official at Cape Town Central Police Station on 12 October 2012. SAPS said that investigators have interviewed the complainant and that further witness statements will be obtained.

Chiguni said that he failed to renew his asylum document when he moved to Tzaneen, Musina in 2008. In July of 2011 he returned to Cape Town but did not have the R2,500 fine that Home Affairs requires for late renewal. He did however have an affidavit from the police stating that he had lost his papers.

On 11 October 2012 he went to Home Affairs with the intention of paying the fine for his expired asylum document. A Home Affairs official told him to stand in the corridor and said that a colleague would come to assist him. Another Home Affairs official by the name Nkosana arrived who asked him for the copy of his asylum paper and the fine fees. Before he handed the money to the Nkosana he wanted to subtract the R300 extra from the entire amount of R2800 but the officer assured him not to worry because he would give him back the change. He went to the 5th floor with the official who told him to wait in the passage while he went to process the asylum document.

The official shortly returned with a receipt showing the date and that the amount of R2500 was paid at Maitland Home Affairs. This surprised Chiguni because they were at Foreshore offices. He asked Nkosana for his change and was told that it would be brought to him. When Nkosana came back with the photocopy he again reminded him of his change. The official allegedly shouted at him, “Do not lie. Your money was not enough. Besides, you Zimbabweans are too clever, you make lots of money, buy cars and you con people.” The official then gave him back R1,800 of the R2,800 he had paid and tore up his receipt.

Chiguni went to the Cape Town Police station that day and laid charges of bribery against the Home Affairs official. He went back to Home Affairs on 18 October and asked to see the Immigration officer but the security guard called the Home Affairs official he had fought with. Chiguni says the official handed him R1000 saying, “Here is your money you claimed I stole from you.”

A female official took him to Maitland Police Station to pay the R2500 fine and then back to Home Affairs. Because it was late in the afternoon he was told to go home and come back the following day. When he returned the following day, the asylum document, which had been processed, was altered from the original state.

Responding to the matter in an email, Home Affairs’ communication department stated, “The Department of Home Affairs takes these type of allegations very seriously and will immediately conduct an investigation once we have interviewed and obtained a statement from the complainant. If we have all the facts and there is proof to substantiate the allegation, decisive disciplinary action will be taken against the people involved. Your publication will be kept informed on the action taken and outcome of the investigation.”