In case you missed it: Home Affairs passport scheme bust | Idac’s future debated | Whatsapp’s new parental controls

A 46-year-old woman in Gauteng has been arrested by the Hawks in connection with a corruption scheme involving the issuance of fraudulent passports. The South African Police Service (SAPS) revealed that the arrest is part of a long-running investigation into corrupt officials from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and vulnerable South Africans who were recruited to collaborate on the scheme.

In exchange for their participation, DHA officials received between R10,000 and R15,000 per application, while South Africans were paid R500 per application and foreign nationals were charged between R50,000 and R100,000.

Meanwhile, parliament's ad hoc committee investigating allegations of political interference and corruption within law enforcement structures remains divided over the future of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac). The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for the disbanding of Idac and its replacement by an independent institution outside the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The committee's deliberations on its draft report focused on Mkhwanazi's allegations of wrongdoing within South African law enforcement agencies.

WhatsApp has announced new parental controls for teens aimed at addressing the increasing prevalence of online risks faced by young users. The controls provide families with the ability to set privacy boundaries and receive alerts about their teen's activity without infringing on private conversations. The new features arrive alongside a Microsoft report from February 2026, which indicated that 77% of South African teens had sought assistance following online risks, with reported incidents increasing for the second consecutive year.