The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the suspension of the two senior officials by the Department of Home Affairs who were allegedly involved in wrongdoing within the department.
These officials were allegedly also involved in serving religious leader Shepherd Bushiri with notices from the department related to his residency woes.
While the Minister has pointed out that their suspension is not related to the Bushiri matter, we do think that these kinds of suspensions and investigations into corruption and wrongdoing within the department is a positive step in rooting out the ills in the South African home affairs system.
It is in the best interest of all South Africans for corruption that has plagued the Department of Home Affairs to be eradicated. When bold and decisive action is taken against unscrupulous officials, actions must be applauded. This will send the right message that any official found to have participated in acts of fraud and corruption will be dealt with accordingly.
The DA hopes that more arrest and dismissals will happen in order to send a strong message that the department is committed to rooting out the corruption that has plagued it for too long. And that individuals implicated in defrauding the state in any way will no longer continue to enjoy positions of power and privilege at the expense of the country.