The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education is launching an investigation into the employment status of foreign national educators and officials, following alarming revelations in a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report.
The SIU, led by Acting Head Leonard Lekgetho, revealed that some foreign nationals in South Africa were fraudulently granted legal status, raising concerns about the authenticity of documentation used by staff within the education sector.
The report, released on Monday, indicated that South Africa’s immigration system had been exploited like a marketplace, with permits and visas allegedly sold to the highest bidder.
Officials within the Department of Home Affairs, tasked with safeguarding the integrity of the system, reportedly turned their positions into profit-making schemes. This included fabricated documents, manipulation of systemic weaknesses, and the exploitation of influence to secure fraudulent residence permits.
In response, KZN Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka said the department is analysing the SIU findings to determine whether any of its employees were implicated. Hlomuka stated that senior management would conduct a comprehensive assessment of all foreign nationals potentially employed within the department.
“So that we can investigate if those educators or any officials within the department were employed correctly, and are here in the province lawfully,” Hlomuka said.
He added that action would be taken against any individuals employed based on fraudulent documents, even if the documents were considered valid at the time of hiring.
“We will produce a report and present it to the Premier and relevant structures. Any foreign nationals employed incorrectly must be removed, and South African unemployed educators should be considered, as we have several qualified individuals. We are prioritising South Africans for employment, except where there are insufficient skills in specific categories,” Hlomuka said.
The SIU investigation was authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa through Proclamation 154 of 2024, with the findings disclosed during Monday’s media briefing.
Lekgetho outlined how Home Affairs officials compromised the department’s integrity by profiting from system manipulation, benefiting individuals such as Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, Kudakwashe Mpofu, and Nigerian rapper Prince Daniel Obioma (also known as 3GAR), who received fraudulent residence permits.
In one instance, a May 2024 SIU investigation, prompted by a whistle-blower, uncovered a major asylum fraud scheme. Foreign nationals allegedly colluded with syndicates and corrupt Home Affairs officials to fraudulently obtain asylum seeker permits, which were then used to apply for permanent residency and citizenship.
The SIU, assisted by the Hawks and operating under a Special Tribunal order, searched five Refugee Reception Offices, seizing and imaging 237 electronic devices.
Analysis revealed officials communicating with foreign nationals and accepting payments through E-Wallets (R500–R3,000), cash hidden in forms, non-RICA or fraudulently RICA-registered E-Wallet numbers, self-sent E-Wallet payments with one-time passwords (OTPs), and in-kind payments such as rent coverage. Officials reportedly used dummy phones to conceal these transactions.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za
