The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) had uncovered wide-scale fraudulent issuance of permits, including to controversial faith leaders Shepherd Bushiri and Timothy Omotoso, by some officials at the department of home affairs, its acting head said on Monday.
Releasing an interim report from an investigation authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa, acting SIU boss Leonard Lekgetho said a whistleblower had alleged that foreign nationals entered the country, fraudulently obtained asylum seeker permits and used them to apply for permanent residence and, ultimately, citizenship.
“The SIU received information that these foreign nationals collude with syndicates involving corrupt home affairs officials to secure permits without merit, as permits are
issued upon application without assessing the asylum claim,” he told a media briefing.
“Holders can remain in the country even if their application is rejected by exhausting appeal rights up to the Constitutional Court, regardless of the merits of their application.”
He said South Africa’s immigration system had been treated as a marketplace, where permits and visas were sold to the highest bidder.
“Officials entrusted with safeguarding the integrity of the department of home affairs instead turned their positions into a profit-making scheme,” Lekgetho said.
“External actors, including Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, Mr Kudakwashe Mpofu and Nigerian rapper Prince Daniel Obioma, … exploited influence, fabricated documentation and manipulated systemic weaknesses to secure fraudulent residence permits.”
Malawi national Bushiri, the founder of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church, faces several criminal cases in South Africa, mainly related to fraud, money laundering and immigration violations. He is in his home country after fleeing South Africa in 2020 while out on bail.
Lekgetho said that in its investigations, the SIU, helped by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks), had searched five refugee reception offices, seizing laptops, desktops, cellphones, external drives and files.
Cellphone analysis revealed communication between officials and foreign nationals showing payments ranging from R500 to R3 000 to facilitate the illegal issuing of permits and visas to unqualified individuals.
“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,” Lekgetho said.
The SIU also traced financial gains of more than R181 million linked to the beneficiaries of
fraudulent visa applications that were supported by fake documentation.
“The SIU has identified 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 SIU said Bushiri had leveraged his influence and church networks and fabricated documentation to secure a fraudulent immigration status. His permanent residence permit had been approved by an adjudicator who was a member of his church.
The unit also investigated Zimbabwean national Mpofu. Evidence showed he obtained a fraudulent permanent residence permit which he used to secure high-paying positions at the North-West Development Corporation.
The SIU referred Mpofu’s matter to the National Prosecuting Authority, resulting in his being convicted and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
The unit recommended that the home affairs department consider vetting all employees and tighten its system integration in all its processes, including those of other government departments linked to it.
“The department should consider strengthening its verification process before the issuance of visas,” it said.
“These findings show that corruption in the visa system is not incidental; it is organised, deliberate and devastating to public trust.”
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, who took over the portfolio as a member of the Democratic Alliance in the government of national unity formed by Ramaphosa after the 2024 general elections, said he was working to clean up the “inherited” rot at the department.
“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,” he said.
Schreiber said disciplinary processes against all the implicated individuals were ongoing, with 20 officials having been dismissed since April last year. Over the past two financial years, 75 disciplinary cases had been completed, resulting in an additional 16 suspensions without pay and 22 written warnings.
“This work has also led to a number of referrals for criminal prosecution and I would encourage the National Prosecuting Authority to prioritise these cases as part of our collective efforts to restore the rule of law,” he said.
The Special Investigating Unit traced financial gains of more than R181 million linked to beneficiaries of fraudulent visa applications that were supported by fake documentation
