A 38-year-old foreign national has been arrested for running an Internet café where he was allegedly producing fraudulent South African identity documents.
The foreign national was handcuffed by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) along Bedford Avenue in Benoni on Monday.
Fake documents
He was also allegedly producing other fraudulent documents, including smart card identity documents, appointment letters, work permits, traffic registers, and foreign driver’s licences.
EMPD spokesperson Kelebogile Thepa said the arrest followed information received from the Ekurhuleni Human Settlements Department regarding residents of the Chief Albert Luthuli informal settlement in Cloverdene, who were found in possession of fraudulent electricity receipts.
“Upon arrival at the settlement, officers interviewed one of the individuals found with a fraudulent receipt. The individual voluntarily led officers to the alleged source of the documents.
“Officers were directed to an internet café on Bedford Avenue, where the suspect was located. During questioning, the suspect allegedly admitted that the fraudulent receipt had been printed at his shop and that he had been selling the documents for R250 each,” Thepa said.
Fraud and contravention of the Immigration Act
Thepa said various fraudulent documents and equipment used in the operation were confiscated and booked in as evidence.
“The suspect was arrested and detained at the Benoni Police Station on charges of fraud and contravention of the Immigration Act. He is expected to appear in the Benoni Magistrate’s Court soon.”
Immigration officer
Meanwhile, a 50-year-old senior immigration officer has been granted bail in connection with the alleged demand for a bribe from a foreign national in Mpumalanga.
Veli Malambe appeared in the White River Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 11 May 2026, following his arrest for nefarious activities.
Malambe was arrested earlier on Monday by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation Unit, based in Nelspruit, and appeared briefly in court later that same day.
The arrest followed allegations that the senior immigration official solicited gratification after arresting a foreign national, whose country of origin was not disclosed, for allegedly working as a street vendor in South Africa without a valid work permit.
