By Levy Masiteng
African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure criminal action against Home Affairs officials implicated in document fraud, including consideration of treason or related charges.
Zungula’s call follows the Monday release of an interim report by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into corruption in visa and permit processing at the department.
ALSO READ: Consumer commission launches probe into sanitary pad suppliers after UFS chemical findings
Upon the release of the report, the SIU said it had “uncovered a disturbing reality”, in that “South Africa’s immigration system has been treated as a marketplace, where permits and visas were sold to the highest bidder.”
Zungula demanded the release of the full and unredacted report. He said its findings threatened sovereignty and border integrity.
“If such persons are using fraudulently obtained positions to shape policy, influence procurement, direct strategic decisions, or advance agendas not aligned with the national interest, the implications are grave,” Zungula said.
“This is not only a corruption issue but a matter of national security and constitutional integrity.”
The SIU said cellphone analysis showed communication between officials and foreign nationals, with payments via e-wallet ranging from R500 to R3,000, alongside other methods including cash concealed in application forms and payments channelled through spouses’ accounts.
It said four officials earning less than R25,000 a month received a combined R16,313,327 in direct deposits, and it traced “exceeding R181 million” in financial gains linked to beneficiaries of fraudulent visa applications supported by fake documentation.
ALSO READ: Madlanga Commission adjourns as witness submits illegible medical note
“These findings show that corruption in the visa system is not incidental; it is organised, deliberate, and devastating to public trust,” the SIU said.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the department had identified more than 2,000 study visas that were fraudulently issued through internal syndicates and that administrative processes were under way to cancel them.
Schreiber said reforms were focusing on digitising systems and shifting to an electronic travel authorisation platform. “It is only through the systemic reform anchored in digital transformation and the use of modern technology that we can definitively close the space for corruption,” he said.
The SIU said its interim report had been submitted to the president and that it had made 275 criminal referrals to the National Prosecuting Authority.
