Unholy alliance — SIU probe reveals multimillion-rand corruption at Home Affairs

An interim report released on Monday, 23 February, by the acting head of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Leonard Lekgetho, has revealed widespread corruption within the Department of Home Affairs. The report identifies a “nefarious syndicate” of officials who allegedly exploited their roles in visa processing and adjudication for personal profit, fundamentally violating their professional duties.

“The SIU can reveal that so far, we have uncovered that four officials, who earn less than R25,000 per month, have received a total of R16,313,327.00 in direct deposits. Evidence indicates that certain members of this group have acquired significant assets that are grossly disproportionate to their legal income,” said Lekgetho.

The core focus of the investigation, which will be concluded by September, was on recurring schemes involving document fraud, the manipulation of visas and work permits, and facilitation networks that enabled unauthorised entry into South Africa.

The report highlights that, as a result of the alleged maladministration, controversial preacher Shepherd Bushiri, former North West Development Corporation CFO Kudakwashe Mpofu, and Nigerian rapper Prince Daniel Obioma — also known as 3GAR — were able to obtain fraudulent residence permits.

The probe was authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2024. An interim report has since been submitted to the President, prompting the SIU to make its findings public.

In response, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber emphasised that the interim report reflected the state of the department inherited by the seventh administration.

“In other words, what the SIU has presented to us today is the result of up to 20 years of maladministration and malfeasance. Over the past 20 months of this administration, the Government of National Unity has moved with urgency and focus to address the root causes of these decades of damage,” said Schreiber.

Selling visas to fund luxurious lives

According to the interim report, a coordinated network of foreign nationals and Department of Home Affairs officials systematically abused the immigration system for illicit gain. Financial audits revealed a massive disparity between the officials’ earnings and their assets, which included extensive infrastructure and luxury real estate purchased outright with cash.

Lekgetho said certain officials had effectively turned the permit system into a marketplace, trading immigration approvals for profit.

The modus operandi, according to Lekgetho, involved visa applications sent via WhatsApp for fast-tracked approval, with bribe payments made soon after and channelled through the accounts of the officials’ spouses.

Officials allegedly ran syndicates, using intermediaries to extract funds from foreign nationals while masking payments as “Permit”, “Visa Process” or even “Building Material”.

The scale of enrichment was staggering, said Lekgetho. “Analysis of a construction company registered in the name of one official’s husband revealed deposits totalling R8.9-million between 2020 and 2023. These deposits were inconsistent with legitimate construction business activity and included payments explicitly referencing ‘PRP’ (permanent residence permit). At least R185,000 was directly linked to PRP applications.

“Officials turned their spouses into silent partners in crime.”

‘Unholy alliance’

The SIU report revealed what it called an unholy alliance — “a coordinated network of religious figures, pastors and prophets, exploiting immigration systems through fraudulent documentation, fake retirement confirmation, falsified financial means, marriages of convenience and syndicate-backed sponsorships faking financial stability”.

The probe into Bushiri illustrated how the preacher leveraged his influence and church networks and fabricated documentation to secure a fraudulent immigration status in South Africa.

The report found that Bushiri’s permanent residence permit was approved by an adjudicator who belonged to his church, ECG Ministries — a clear conflict of interest. His application was backed by a fraudulent financial independence letter signed by a chartered accountant, who has admitted he was paid for his signature.

Bushiri also claimed proof of an aircraft purchase as proof of wealth. Investigators found that $1.2-million in cash was paid from his non-profit company to purchase a luxury jet, raising serious concerns about money laundering and the misuse of religious donations.

“The SIU further found that Bushiri held directorships in 14 companies and owned multiple properties in Pretoria. Our investigators found that religious donations were converted into bricks, mortar, and corporate shares, highlighting how faith-based contributions were laundered into personal wealth,” said Lekgetho.

Another religious figure under scrutiny was Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso, who in 2025 was acquitted in South Africa on multiple charges of sexual assault and human trafficking.

The report found his entire immigration pathway into South Africa was riddled with fraud and misrepresentation. He allegedly secured entry through a fraudulently obtained work permit issued in a country of which he was not a citizen, based on an unauthorised directive.

The deception continued through conflicting travel claims, “lost document” affidavits to dodge verification, and the use of a tainted permit to secure more permanent status — even as scrutiny intensified.

“When his visa renewal was denied for noncompliance with regulations, he sought to bypass these requirements by petitioning for a ministerial waiver. The investigation revealed that this waiver was unlawfully granted by an official without the necessary delegated authority, highlighting a strategy of leveraging administrative gaps to override lawful rejections and perpetuate his stay in the country,” said the SIU head.

Another explosive finding centres on the Nigerian rapper Obioma.

He overstayed his visitor’s visa in 2023, remained illegally in South Africa until his departure, and later re-entered the country illegally.

He is facing prosecution for reckless or negligent driving following a serious crash involving his McLaren 570S supercar in Sea Point, Cape Town, in March 2025. He allegedly drove at speeds of up to 200km/h before crashing into a wall.

Digital transformation to curb corruption

Efforts to restore integrity at the Department of Home Affairs rest on three key pillars:

• Uncovering and investigating fraud and corruption;
• Enforcing accountability against those responsible; and
• Driving digital transformation to close gaps that allow discretion, interference and manipulation.

Home Affairs Minister Schreiber said that while exposure and accountability were vital, only systemic reform — anchored in digital transformation and modern technology — can decisively end corruption involving visa processes.

“Digital transformation is the apex priority of Home Affairs under the GNU, and we have made extraordinary progress on this front over the past 20 months,” he said. “At the heart of our work to close the space for manipulation of visa processes is the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).”

Home Affairs launched the first phase of the ETA ahead of the G20 leaders’ meeting in Johannesburg last year.

Read more: Africa’s open border dream meets turbulence at the check-in counter

“To date, this new system has declined over 30,000 applications that did not meet the relevant requirements for tourist visas. It does so by using machine learning to verify the authenticity of documents like passports.

“The ETA also uses biometric technology to match an applicant’s face to their passport photo, which means that they cannot enter South Africa using fraudulent documents,” said Schreiber.

He said that, following the release of the SIU report, there can no longer be any doubt that the ETA is the most powerful tool yet developed to clamp down on visa fraud.

The immediate priority is to scale up operations with the Border Management Authority and SARS, specifically by rolling out facial recognition technology across all international airports. Upon completion, the ETA will become the exclusive, centralised gateway for all South African tourist visas. DM