Gauteng Named Epicentre of Luxury Car Fraud Linked to Fraudulent Traffic Registration Numbers

• A joint investigation found that almost 90% of vehicles bought and registered by foreign nationals could not be matched to any valid immigration record
• Gauteng was identified as the hardest-hit province, with 282 vehicles purchased using fraudulently obtained traffic registration numbers
• At least 327 Porsches were found to be illegally registered to Nigerian nationals

A major investigation into vehicle fraud in South Africa has shown just how deep the problem goes. The Department of Home Affairs detailed its findings to Parliament on 6 June 2026, showing that foreign nationals had been using fraudulent traffic registration numbers to buy and register luxury vehicles across the country, with Gauteng sitting at the centre of the scheme.

The probe was initially sparked after a high-speed crash in Cape Town involving a Nigerian national who had purchased a R3 million McLaren using a rejected study visa.

That single incident opened the door to a much wider investigation that led to the analysis of over a million vehicle registration records going back to 2000.

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How the fraud worked?

All foreign nationals in South Africa are legally required to apply for a traffic registration number, known as a TRN, before they can buy, register or licence a vehicle. What investigators found was that a large number of these TRNs had been obtained using falsified documents, expired visas or rejected immigration applications.

Home Affairs Deputy Director General for Counter Corruption Constance Moitse told Parliament that syndicates had been operating across multiple provinces, with compromised officials at municipal traffic offices in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape processing fraudulent applications. She said investigators know exactly which officials were involved.

The investigation also found vehicles registered in the names of South African citizens when the actual owners were primarily nationals from Nigeria, India, China and Somalia.

Ethiopian nationals were found to be the most implicated in obtaining heavy vehicles, including buses and trucks, using unverified asylum seeker permits, while Zimbabwean nationals were most linked to fraudulent registrations of public transport and commercial vehicles.

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The breakdown of the vehicles in SA

The numbers presented to Parliament were alarming. At least 40 super luxury vehicles, including Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens, were found among the fraudulently registered fleet. But Porsches came out on top with at least 327 of them illegally registered to Nigerian nationals alone.

Moitse confirmed that many of these purchases were made despite the buyers having had their study, work and retirement visas rejected or having already overstayed their permitted time in the country.

Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the government is considering scrapping TRNs altogether, though any changes would need to be careful not to disrupt legitimate cross-border trade, business and tourism.

More on SA fraud and crime

• Briefly News recently reported on a Stellenbosch woman who lost nearly R10,000 after being convinced by fake police officers that she was under investigation.
• KZN residents began evicting illegal immigrants from RDP homes in a self-organised operation that had SAPS present.
• Ghost employees cost the South African government an estimated R3.9 billion in 2025, and Home Affairs has announced a new system that aims to put an end to payroll fraud.

Source: Briefly News