Department of Home Affairs to take action against officials implicated in SIU report
- The Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, weighed in on the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) latest investigation into the department
- Schreiber was present at the release of the SIU’s report, which found gross maladministration in the Department of Home Affairs
- Schreiber noted that the department will ensure that fraudulent visas are cancelled, and netizens demanded that more action be taken
With 10 years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk in South Africa, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics, commissions of inquiry, and high-profile cases at Daily Sun.
Source: Twitter
GAUTENG — The Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, said that the Department of Home Affairs will institute disciplinary action against officials implicated in the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) probe into corruption within the Department.
Schreiber spoke on 23 February 2026 at the press briefing where the SIU released a report revealing the extent of corruption in the Department of Home Affairs. According to IOL, Schreiber said that over 2,000 student visas were fraudulently issued through syndicates operating in the Department. He said the process to cancel the visas is currently underway.
Implicated officials facing the music: Schreiber
Schreiber also remarked that he requested the Department’s Director General to contact the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) to ensure that officials implicated are not re-employed in the country while the proceedings are underway. He noted that the Department has dismissed 20 officials since last year and has conducted 75 disciplinary cases. These resulted in 22 written warnings and 16 suspensions without pay. He noted that the report, which covered the period between 12 October 2004 and 16 February 2024, reflected the state of Home Affairs inherited by the seventh administration.
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What else did the SIU find?
The SIU also found that Timothy Omotoso and Shepherd Bushiri’s residential permits were fraudulently obtained. The SIU found that Bushiri, who has fled the country after facing criminal charges, obtained his Permanent Residential Permit (PRP) with the help of a Home Affairs official who was also a member of his church, Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) Ministries. He also allegedly paid a chartered accountant money to sign a fraudulent letter of financial independence, which he used as proof of his purchase of an aircraft worth over R19 million as proof of his financial independence.
Omotoso, who was declared an illegal person in the country, secured a fraudulently obtained work permit and provided conflicting information about his travel and residency history. After the visa renewal application was denied, he applied for a Ministerial Waiver, which was granted by a Home Affairs employee who did not have the authority to grant it.
Source: Getty Images
Netizens demand arrests
South Africans were not impressed that the officials had been suspended, dismissed or given written warnings.
Sammy Mavisto Lesnar asked:
“Why were they dismissed and not arrested?”
Janet Fox-van Der Poel said:
“All this corruption proudly brought to you by the ANC.”
Motho Gase Pampier added:
“The banana republic is a stepping stone for foreigners to go to Europe and the USA using SA documents.”
Vimal Jhainarian asked:
“And what happens to those who have acquired these fraudulent visas?”
Mluleki Nozozo was wary.
“Another commission loading. And they are not arrested.”
USA woman's visa extension denied
In a related article, Briefly News reported that a woman from the United States reacted after the Department of Home Affairs rejected her visa extension application. She vented on social media in a clip that went viral.
The woman said that she complied with immigration regulations and has never stayed longer than 90 days, choosing to travel occasionally to remain compliant. She said the Department of Home Affairs labelled her visa as fraudulent.
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Source: Briefly News
