Foreign National Arrested After Allegedly Altering SA ID Documents for Zama-Zamas

• A 43-year-old foreign national was arrested at an internet café in Bloemfontein on Monday, 7 September 2026, during Operation Shanela II
• Police allegedly found him in the act of altering a Green Republic of South Africa identity document when officers visited the Old Market Complex
• A search of his backpack and a nearby informal settlement uncovered a trove of fraudulent documents from both South Africa and Lesotho

FREE STATE — A 43-year-old foreign national was arrested on Monday, 7 September 2026, after members of the Parkweg Crime Prevention Unit allegedly caught him altering a Green Republic of South Africa identity document inside an internet café in Bloemfontein.

The arrest took place at a café situated on the corner of Henry and West Burger Streets in the Old Market Complex, a location previously linked to fraud-related activity. Officers from the unit were conducting routine crime prevention patrols as part of Operation Shanela II when they entered the premises and found the suspect allegedly in the process of editing the identity document. He was initially unable to account for what he was doing.

Backpack concealed a range of fraudulent documents

A search of the man's black backpack allegedly revealed a significant haul of suspected fraudulent material, including identity documents bearing different personal details, passports, birth and death certificates, smart cards with falsified pages pasted over existing information, and proof-of-birth documents linked to both South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho. Officers also recovered pro-forma affidavits that had been stamped in advance without being completed by a police official.

A Department of Home Affairs Counter-Corruption official joined the operation as it extended to Phomolong Informal Settlement, where further documents were recovered. These included confidential DNA records, documents bearing the South African Coat of Arms, bank statements, and SASSA affidavits. Local Criminal Record Centre personnel were brought in to process the recovered material.

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Suspect claims he was assisting zama-zamas

During questioning, the suspect allegedly told officers he had been assisting his "zama-zama brothers" — a term commonly used to refer to illegal and artisanal miners operating in South Africa.

A case docket was opened at Parkweg SAPS on charges including fraud, altering and tampering with legal documents, possession of suspected stolen property, and contravention of the Immigration Act. The suspect is expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate Court in the coming days.

The suspect remains innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

Five men bust for making fake documents

Previously, Briefly News reported that a tip-off led to the arrest of five men allegedly involved in a syndicate that was producing fake Home Affairs documents in Johannesburg.The men were caught red-handed, working on devices and printing a variety of fake documents. According to a tip-off given to police, the men were allegedly undocumented foreign nationals working with Home Affairs officials.

Source: Briefly News