Loyiso MacDonald Debunks Claim That SIM Card Data Shows 27 Million Foreigners in South Africa
- Loyiso MacDonald refutes claim of 27 million foreigners in South Africa based on SIM card registration data
- Tumisho Masha questions South Africa's capacity to absorb a purportedly high number of illegal immigrants
- RICA regulations clarify that SIM card registration does not verify users' nationality or immigration status
Source: Instagram
Renowned actor Loyiso MacDonald has pushed back against a widely circulated claim that South Africa's SIM card registration data shows there are 27 million foreigners in the country. His response came after fellow actor Tumisho Masha shared the claim on social media.
On Wednesday, 1 July 2026, Tumisho Masha, who previously pushed back against a popular claim about South Africans, kicked off the conversation after sharing an AI-generated poster showing the alleged number of foreigners in South Africa.
The poster championed the long-held claim that SIM card data proves there are 27 million foreigners in South Africa, which is nearly half the population. Tumisho Masha questioned how South Africa was supposed to absorb so many illegal immigrants. The post was captioned:
“These numbers are staggering, and I doubt ANY other African country has this many migrants, especially illegal low- to non-skilled migrants, in their country. How are we as South Africa supposed to be able to absorb ALL these people?”
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The AI-generated graphic also incorrectly matched several countries with the wrong national flags.
See the post below:
Loyiso MacDonald debunks SIM card data claim
As the internet reacted to Tumisho Masha’s post, fellow actor Loyiso MacDonald joined the conversation with his two cents. The former The Queen actor dismissed the claim that SIM registration data can reveal the national origin of South Africa’s mobile phone users. The post was captioned:
“RICA does not track nationality.”
See the post below:
Loyiso MacDonald then shared a link to a 2025 News24 article debunking the claim.
See the post below:
SA reacts after Loyiso MacDonald debunks SIM card data claim
In the comments, social media users weighed in with mixed reactions. Several netizens insisted that SIM card data can
Here are some of the comments:
@Godmother_2 criticised:
“You were quiet about the illegal immigrants issue; now that Tumisho is saying something, you’re acting clever. Hayi thula Loyiso!”
@MoiponeSenoe asked:
“Don't you use an ID or passport to Rica your SIM card?”
@Pale_Pale18 remarked:
“Please don’t make me be disappointed in you, because what do you even mean?”
@huggable_za critiqued:
“That's why you're an actor, broskie. Stick to that.”
@1RadioFan advised:
“Read the room, Lazarus.”
Source: Instagram
Can RICA determine a person's nationality?
According to News24, the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (RICA) was not designed to verify a person's nationality or immigration status.
RICA requires every SIM card in South Africa to be registered using a valid identity document and proof of residence. The legislation was introduced primarily to assist law enforcement agencies with crime prevention and the interception of communications where legally authorised.
However, the system does not record or verify a person's nationality in a centralised database linked to individual users. Instead, it is designed to register SIM cards to identifiable users, rather than track their citizenship or immigration status.
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Source: Briefly News
