SEVERAL official documents have gone missing from the Department of Home Affairs in Durban’s Umgeni Road raising fears that they might be used for illegal purposes.
The issue came to light when DUT student Anvir Chunilall went to collect his passport two weeks ago, only to be told that the document had been stolen. Chunilall told the Independent on Saturday that even though he received a message to collect the document in February, he was waiting for his mom to receive her notification to pick up her passport and ID, so that they could go together.
“After waiting in the queue I got to the front and then they went to look for the passport, the 2024 one, and they couldn't find it. At that point I did not know that it was stolen, I thought maybe they had misplaced it or something along those lines,” explained Chunilall.
His mother's passport was there for collection.
He was then directed to speak with a supervisor, where he learned that his passport, along with several others, had gone missing. “She told me that my passport along with a batch of them was stolen from their premises. That news took me aback and made me question the integrity of the safety and security of their premises. It was quite alarming that they allowed such an important document to get stolen,” he said.
According to him, the supervisor whose name is known to the Independent on Saturday, shared her email address as well as another officer’s with him so that they could keep in touch. She also promised to email him details of the case report but he has still not received it.
Chunilall was informed that all the details of the stolen passports would be registered with the global police network, Interpol, so that if it was used by anyone it would “get flagged” and the person who had it would not be allowed to travel.
“What was more alarming was the fact that they didn't email me or give me any type of information beforehand to say that it was stolen. Maybe they wanted the people whose passports were stolen to go to them first, in which case they would get some sort of confirmation.”
He said the way the matter was handled raised many questions, like where in the process the documents were stolen.
Chunilall was given the option of going through the whole process of applying and paying for a passport again, or he could wait for the investigation into the matter to be completed and then receive assistance from the Department of Home Affairs without having to pay.
He said the only thing that put him at ease was that Interpol would be alerted if his passport was used. “It's very alarming because anyone can be using my name or my identity, but the good thing is that nothing was tied back to a physical address.”
Despite multiple attempts to get a comment from the Department of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Police this week, no response was received by the time of publication.