Ex-Home Affairs Official Allegedly Laundered R1.3m to Build Limpopo Mansion

• A probe by the SIU has revealed that a double-storey mansion in Limpopo’s Setlaboswane village was allegedly built with millions from fraudulent visa approvals at the Department of Home Affairs
• Former officials are accused of taking bribes and laundering funds through fake construction companies
• The Special Investigating Unit has referred the case to the National Prosecuting Authority for possible criminal prosecution

LIMPOPO- A luxurious double-storey mansion in Setlaboswane, a village 40km north of Marble Hall, Limpopo, has been flagged as the product of corruption in the Department of Home Affairs.

According to the Sunday Times, the property belongs to Hellen Nkogatse, a former senior administrator responsible for approving visa applications. Between 2021 and 2023, she approved 426 visas while earning R25,000–R30,000 a month. During that period, she built the mansion and even tarred the road leading to it.

SIU probe reveals corruption

A Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe revealed that Nkogatse received at least R1.3 million in suspicious payments from fraudulent visa approvals. Colleagues involved in the scheme reportedly earned over R10 million through money-laundering methods, including fake construction companies that claimed to buy non-existent building materials.

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“The disparity between her official salary and property holdings is a clear indicator of corruption. Combined with the documented suspicious payments and a 67% fraudulent approval rate, the evidence points to corrupt enrichment,” the SIU stated.

Denials from the accused

When approached by the Sunday Times, Nkogatse denied wrongdoing.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” she said.

The mansion, however, is officially registered in her name.

Another DHA official, Daphne Mannye, is accused of receiving R6.7 million and R2.14 million via her husband Eric Mannye’s construction company, Solusalem, between 2020 and 2023. SIU reports indicate the company primarily processed corrupt payments tied to fraudulent visa approvals.

Internal DHA audits flagged Mannye’s unusually high approval rate of 459 Nigerian visas from the Cape Town VFS centre. She denies wrongdoing, claiming she was dismissed over a “misunderstanding.”

“Me, I don’t do those things. I am a pastor,” Mannye told the Sunday Times. “I don’t have millions — I don’t have [anything].”

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SIU takes next steps

The SIU has referred Nkogatse, Mannye, and other implicated officials to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for possible criminal prosecution.

The investigation underscores how corrupt practices in a key government ministry can funnel millions into personal gain, leaving rural villages like Setlaboswane as the backdrop for lavish lifestyles built on fraud.

Department of Home Affairs to take action against implicated officials

Briefly News also reported that the Department of Home Affairs says it has begun action against officials named in a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) corruption report that exposed widespread fraud in visa and permit processing, with some low‑paid staff receiving millions in unexplained deposits. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber described steps to strengthen controls, dismiss implicated employees and introduce digital reforms aimed at closing loopholes that allowed unlawful approvals. The SIU’s interim findings have sparked political pressure for urgent arrests, asset seizures and systemic vetting to restore integrity in the department.

Source: Briefly News