LEBOGANG SEALE
A HOME Affairs official based at the Orlando office faces arrest for allegedly issuing fraudulent marriage certificates.
The news came to light after a man used an allegedly fake certificate to claim ownership of a house that belongs to his common-law wife, Anna Morodi.
The man, Nhlanhla Vincent Mogodiri, 40, appeared in the Protea Magistrate’s Court yesterday on charges of fraud.
Tall and lean, he arrived in court armed with documents and accompanied by his lawyer.
He was not asked to plead and his case was adjourned to November 29. He was released on R1 000 bail.
As Mogodiri awaits his next court appearance, it emerged that the arrest of the Home Affairs official who had allegedly issued the fraudulent document to him was imminent.
The certificate was issued on October 21.
According to sources close to the investigation, the house is registered in Morodi’s name. She is the one who pays the bond.
The couple had been estranged since 2009 and Morodi had moved out of the house. She had been trying to sell the house, an action Mogodiri was opposed to.
Morodi was arrested on Thursday for housebreaking after she got a locksmith to alter the locks to the house. This was while she tried to enable some property evaluators to gain access to the home to assess its value.
Mogodiri said he had obtained a protection order against his wife. It is not clear how he got the protection order.
Morodi was released on the same day after it turned out that Mogodiri had obtained the marriage certificate.
Sources told The Star that a Home Affairs official could be arrested as soon as today.
The issuing of fraudulent marriage certificates is rife within Home Affairs.
Five officials were arrested in Durban early this year for allegedly registering hundreds of fraudulent marriages involving foreigners and South Africans.