Home Affairs must ensure ABIS delinquents pay back the money

25 May 2021

The DA welcomes the finding of a forensic audit of the Automated Biometric Information System (ABIS) contract between Home Affairs and EOH Mthombo.

The irregular award of the biometrics project, and subsequent irregular payments, is yet another case of what happens when officials are appointed through the policy of Cadre Deployment.

The Forensic audit has found that disciplinary and criminal charges should be considered against SITA, EOH Mthombo and Home Affairs officials involved in wrong doing.

The audit indicated that some of the personnel involved have left the organisation and hence escaped the enquiry. It simply cannot be allowed that government employees leave one department under a cloud and simply parachute into another government department for a fresh start. The DA has called on SITA and Home Affairs to ensure that those who left to avoid disciplinary action are followed and face the consequences of their action, and will follow up on this.

Those who steal money from government are really stealing money from the people of South Africa - this is not government money, it is taxpayer money.

Despite Minister Aaron Motsoaledi claiming that only R299 864.25 was lost, millions have been lost through inflated payments and the cost of having to run the existing system, HANIS, more than 7 years past its end of life in parallel with ABIS while the contractual wrangling has dragged on.

The DA has called on Home Affairs to leave no stone unturned to recoup monies lost and will continue to hold Home Affairs to account to ensure that the guilty parties face the consequences of their actions and do not enjoy a soft landing in a new redeployment.

Issued by Adrian Roos, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, 25 May 2021