Pretoria - Companies and individuals who resort to corrupt activities to influence Home Affairs officials will have to deal with the full might of the law.
This was the warning from Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni when he told the media on Thursday that a senior Home Affairs official and a senior executive of a company were already behind bars on a charge of corruption.
Coltrane Nyathi, an executive with Lefatshe Technology, and Hilitha Nkosana, Chief Director for Infrastructure Management with Home Affairs, were arrested during a joint sting operation between the department and the Hawks on Tuesday.
The corruption charge stems from an alleged attempt by two people to hand over R200 000 to Nkosana.
Apleni said the money was allegedly to influence the Home Affairs official to act unlawfully and to the benefit of the company.
"Lefatshe Technology was awarded a tender by the Department of Home Affairs to supply security systems such as anti-virus programming for the department's IT and computer systems. In terms of this tender, Lefatshe Technology has successfully concluded phase one of the contract as awarded," he added.
Apleni explained that problems with the contract later arose when Lefatshe Technology failed to meet the required standards in delivering on its mandate. The department then halted the contract.
"It is this decision by the Department of Home Affairs, it is believed, that may have allegedly prompted the two persons to act in the manner described above, with a view to restoring the contract to Lefatshe Technology," he added.
Apleni said Nkosana and Nyathi had appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Wednesday and will remain in custody until their bail application on Monday.
The department was serious about fighting corruption within its ranks and was collaborating with various security agencies to achieve this, he added.
"People must be warned. Don't come close to Government Departments and in particular to the Department of Home Affairs with criminal agendas because we will deal with you decisively," he said.
General Anwar Dramat of the Hawks said police was working very closely with government departments to root out corruption and close in on those with criminal intent.
