Video of 2 Foreign Nationals Questioned Over SA IDs Goes Viral
- A video showing two foreign nationals being questioned by South African police about their IDs has gone viral on social media
- The men said they received their IDs in 2022 after marrying South African women, but could not give the women's names or surnames
- Police referred them to the Department of Home Affairs for verification, amid a wider national focus on ID fraud
- Briefly News has contacted SAPS for comment, but no response had been received at the time of publication
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Source: Getty Images
SOUTH AFRICA: A video showing two foreign nationals being questioned by police over their South African identity documents has gone viral online. The men were later referred to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for verification.
In the video, the two men told officers they had obtained their South African IDs in 2022, following marriages to local women. Both said their wives had since died. When asked for basic details, neither man could give the names or surnames of the women they said they had married.
ID documents sent for verification
According to the information shared with the video, police handed the men over to the DHA for a formal verification process, and their documents are now under review. Authorities are looking into how the IDs were obtained.
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No official statement confirming the identities of the two men or the outcome of the verification had been released when the incident was reported on 10 September 2026. Authorities have also not confirmed whether the documents were obtained unlawfully.
Broader ID fraud crackdown
The video surfaced during an intensified national effort to root out fraudulent South African documentation. The Hawks, South Africa's elite investigative unit, have been arresting DHA officials and intermediaries accused of taking bribes to issue genuine South African IDs to foreign nationals using fabricated or stolen identities.
In June 2026, the DHA launched a nationwide campaign requiring people whose IDs had been flagged or blocked to appear in person and verify their citizenship with primary documents such as original birth certificates. The department said IDs belonging to those who failed to comply would be permanently cancelled.
Under South African law, marriage to a citizen does not automatically confer citizenship or entitle a foreign national to an ID. A spousal visa is the first step in a multi-year process that includes a minimum period of permanent residency before naturalisation can be considered. Obtaining documents through fraud is a criminal offence and can lead to ID cancellation, arrest and deportation.
Briefly News reached out to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for comment on the incident before publication. At the time of publishing, no response had been received. This article will be updated once SAPS provides more information.
See the clip here.
Source: Facebook
More on SA's identity fraud crackdown
- Briefly News recently reported on a South African refugee who died by suicide just months after moving to the US, raising questions about support for people entering refugee programmes.
- An Afrikaner family sold their home and belongings before being denied US refugee status over an unexpected reason.
- SASSA rolled out new digital tools, including WhatsApp support and self-service kiosks, to cut long queues at its offices nationwide.
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Source: Briefly News
