An intelligence-led operation involving Crime Intelligence officers, Metro Police Tactical Support Unit, Sydenham Trio Task Team, and Home Affairs Immigration officers has exposed an illegal marriage syndicate in Durban. The operation, conducted on Monday afternoon, led officials to a hidden setup within a block of flats on Matthews Meyiwa Road in Greyville. This clandestine office was reportedly used to orchestrate fraudulent marriages between South African women and foreign nationals, particularly undocumented individuals, to secure South African citizenship.
The syndicate reportedly accessed the identity documents of South African women, using these to unlawfully register marriages with foreign nationals seeking residency rights. Preliminary investigations have already pointed to the involvement of a Home Affairs official, believed to have worked in collaboration with the suspects. Additional arrests may follow as investigations continue.
Law enforcement seized multiple application forms, identity document copies, and electronic devices from the scene. Three individuals have been apprehended: two men face fraud charges, while a woman was charged with obstructing justice after she allegedly attempted to destroy evidence by tearing documents and discarding them in a bin.
The suspects are scheduled to appear before the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. Authorities are committed to addressing this breach of the immigration system, and further developments are anticipated as the investigation progresses.
