Sixteen of these border bullies have been arrested for fraud and corruption at the Caledonspoort border post where it is said they made on average R100,000 a day charging people without passports up to R200 to enter into SA.
Crime fighting unit The Hawks say of the 16 at least nine are police officers. The South African Press Association is quoting a Captain Paul Ramaloko who said six were immigration officers and one an official from the health department. They allegedly allowed people to enter the country from Lesotho without documents for R150 or over – depending on the going rate for the day. “In some instances taxi drivers delivered passports at the port of entry to be stamped, in order to extend the days of holders in South Africa, at a fee of R150,” he said. “This had been orchestrated for a long time. The officials were able to make over R100,000 per day. In one instance officials shared R200,000.”
Police confiscated R38 000 found in the boot of a car belonging to one of the immigration officials. One of the police officers was arrested at a hospital, where he had been booked in for alcohol abuse.
