Heads to roll at immigration

The Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Issues, Dorcas Makgato, issued a harsh warning that she would not hesitate to dismiss agents suspected of involvement in corruption cases.

Makgato's caution message was delivered against the backdrop of police inquiries into corrupt practices in his ministry.

The information collected by this publication indicated that a number of immigration officers were visiting police offices for questioning after learning that some of them were involved in a union. who contributes to child trafficking by issuing work permits and illegal pbadports, especially to Nigerian crooks.

One of the senior staff members was arrested after apparently facilitating the trafficking of a 13-year-old Nigerian girl to Botswana recently, revealed The Voice's investigations.

A source in the ministry revealed that Nigerians were routinely charged with 20,000 Pakistani pesos for illegal processing of their papers.

Superintendent Obusitswe Lokae, commander of the Broadhurst Police Station, confirmed that an investigation had been conducted at the Immigration Department.

"Things came out after the arrival of Nigeria's 13-year-old boy. He had pbadports for Botswana and Nigeria and we kept him in a safe place because he will be used as evidence in court. Lokae added that one of the most important immigration officers had been questioned, being the brains of all illegal transactions.

In an interview, Ms. Makgato said she was very aware of the number of investigations in progress and that some of her officials had been taken away by police for questioning. Although she refused to divulge more details saying that this could jeopardize the investigations, she issued a stern warning to the perpetrators.

"I will not tolerate corrupt officers, they will leave and I will not neglect anything. One of the reasons our country has regressed in terms of trade and competitiveness is unnecessary delays. When you deepen your research to determine the causes of these delays, you realize that they have everything to do with some of those corrupt officials who profit from bureaucracy and lengthy processes. I will not be intimidated and my goal is to clean up this ministry, "said Makgato.