With the advent of the festive season in sight, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) have their eyes fixed on all Ports of Entry (POE). A Department of Home Affairs immigration official, William Gilbert Buys (52) and a runner Princess Tselane Kabi (34) were sentenced by the Ficksburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 01 November 2023 for corruption and contravention of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.
The pair was arrested on 29 March 2017 by members of Serious Corruption Investigation who were reacting to intelligence about corrupt activities at the Ficksburg POE. An approved entrapment operation was conducted during December 2016 whereby Kabi facilitated the altering of passports for Lesotho nationals who had overstayed in South Africa. Several passports were doctored at a fee to be shared between the accused persons.
Tselane Princess Kabi was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment suspended for five years’ for corruption and five years’ imprisonment suspended for five years’ for contravening the Immigration Act. William Gilbert Buys was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment suspended for five years’ for contravening the Immigration Act.
Free State Head of the Hawks, Major General Mokgadi Bokaba sends a stern warning to anyone involved in corruption at the POEs that they shall be arrested. “Moving forward, we will also be targeting those who dangle money before officials looking to lure them into corruption. We hope that this sentencing will send a strong message,” she said.