Tech Crucial To Rooting Out Corruption At Home Affairs: Minister

Speaking at the launch of the Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum on Monday, Schreiber said corrupt networks exploit systemic loopholes that give government employees discretion over public service processes like applying for a residence permit or obtaining an ID.

Schreiber said technology is key to closing these loopholes because "you cannot bribe a computer or an electronic gate".

"We are committed to the kind of systems reform that will close the space for discretion that enables fraud and corruption in the first place. In this quest, our greatest ally is technology. One of the fundamental pillars of our commitment to digital transformation is to employ technology in ways that prevent and detect corruption to uproot corrupt networks altogether, said Schreiber.

According to Schreiber, 27 home affairs officials were dismissed from the department between July 2024 and February 2025 for a range of offences including fraud, corruption and sexual misconduct.

As these "bad apples" are being rooted out, digital innovations are being developed to ensure the systems at home affairs are less susceptible to exploitation. According to Schreiber, these include replacing paper-based visas with electronic travel authorisation documents which will feature AI and machine learning-based adjudication. All other paper documents will be replaced by secure digital documents, which include new digital IDs and the phasing out of green ID books in favour of more secure smart ID cards.