Immigration officers have arrested a senior government official in Mpumalanga.
He was arrested for allegedly being an illegal migrant.
He did not only enter the country illegally but also possessed fraudulently obtained identity documents.
The immigration officials at Pretoria central station detained the man on Tuesday after he was asked how he got his South African citizenship.
A source close to the case said the senior official who claimed that he was born in Brits in North West, entered SA from Zimbabwe in the mid-90s.
The source said it was an embarrassing discovery.
“When you employ senior public officials you don’t vet their qualifications only, you also vet their identification to see that they are who they claim to be … And here he is occupying a senior position in the public service … handling quite sensitive information.”
Prior to the top official’s arrest, he was asked to appear before the home affairs head office for questioning.
“He will probably appear in the Pretoria magistrate court on Thursday.”
Home affairs spokesperson Siya Qoza confirmed that the man was arrested by immigration officials on Tuesday.
“I can confirm that the gentleman in question has been arrested [in connection with immigration] laws. But we will supply more details as and when they become available.”
