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ActionSA demands immediate action following the lengthy investigation by the Special Investigating Unit into the Department of Home Affairs, which confirms what many South Africans have long suspected: that our immigration system has been reduced to a marketplace where permits and visas are sold to the highest bidder.

While we commend the SIU for its work, it is deeply concerning that it has taken years to formally investigate practices that have been widely known and spoken about for decades.

South Africa has already witnessed the consequences of a compromised immigration system. Disgraced individuals such as Shepherd Bushiri and Timothy Omotoso allegedly exploited fraudulent or improperly obtained documentation to build questionable wealth, influence and power within our borders.

The investigation reveals clear links between visa approvals and bribe payments, with funds moving within days of permits being issued. Officials allegedly used spouses’ bank accounts and third-party intermediaries to launder illicit proceeds. Shockingly, four officials earning less than R25 000 per month reportedly received more than R16 million in unexplained deposits.

Serious border management failures further enabled individuals who had overstayed or departed unlawfully to re-enter South Africa without proper records. Accountability cannot rest solely with frontline officials, instead the Minister of Finance must answer for failing to allocate adequate resources to the Border Management Authority to fulfil its constitutional mandate.

ActionSA therefore calls for the immediate arrest of all implicated individuals, the freezing of illicit assets and the urgent strengthening of consequence management within Home Affairs. South Africans deserve an immigration system that protects our sovereignty, economy, and rule of law.

Issued by ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip Lerato Ngobeni