The acting head of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Mr Leonard Lekgetho, says investigations have uncovered widespread corruption within South Africa’s immigration system.
Addressing the media, Lekgetho said permits and visas were effectively “sold to the highest bidder”, with some officials allegedly enriching themselves by unlawfully issuing documentation and using spouses to launder bribes.
He said organised syndicates exploited weaknesses in verification and monitoring systems, while external figures — including Shepherd Bushiri and Mr Kudakwashe Mpofu — allegedly leveraged influence, fabricated documents and misused networks to secure fraudulent immigration status. Nigerian nationals linked to the so-called McLaren case were also cited.
Lekgetho described the findings as evidence that corruption in the visa system was “organised, deliberate and devastating to public trust”.
“South Africa’s immigration system was treated as a commodity. Permits and visas were sold, traded and laundered. Integrity was betrayed,” he sai
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