A United Kingdom (UK) citizen - who laid a criminal charge of corruption against a Home Affairs official who wanted R60 000 to renew the retirement visas of him and his wife - is still waiting for the police probe to show results. He is also still waiting for the visas he applied for in 2022.
A United Kingdom (UK) citizen - who laid a criminal charge of corruption against a Home Affairs official who wanted R60 000 to renew the retirement visas of him and his wife - is still waiting for the police probe to show results. He is also still waiting for the visas he applied for in 2022.
In June last year (2023), Chris Campbell went to see Paul O’Sullivan of O’Sullivan Brosnan & Associates, who took the case under the auspices of Forensics for Justice. O’Sullivan prepared a criminal complaint and laid a charge of corruption and extortion at Sandringham SAPS from where the case was transferred to the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI).
However, “The Hawks appear to have just sat on this case since it was opened,” Campbell says.
“It took some time for them to actually assign a Warrant Officer (28th August 2023). Then on 19th October 2023, I was informed that it had been re-assigned to Warrant Officer M E Rasekhokha. Since then I have received one call from him. His tone wasn’t very encouraging and it seemed to me that he believed that it was just as the DHA employees claimed ‘Our emails were hacked’!
“I queried him about following up on the two bank account numbers that I had provided and suggested that these would show the magnitude of the crime but he told me that the FNB account number for one of the accounts didn’t look real and so he was not going to pursue that one. However he didn’t know about the Discovery Bank Account so would investigate that one.
“I’ve heard nothing since and don’t hold any expectations especially when so much time has passed…”
In a sworn affidavit made by Campbell, he describes how a Home Affairs official had told him he would need to pay R30 000 per application to get the process moving and receive the visas in seven to 10 days.
“I replied via Whatsapp and asked if a lower price can be negotiated. He replied saying that they would be able to make it R20 000 per application if it was an immediate payment.”
Once the method of payment was agreed on, the official sent through the account details for the bribe. It was a Discovery Bank account.
The Home Affairs employee then told Campbell that he had to convince the officials above him to accept this way of payment.
“He then asked me to do an immediate payment of R20 000 as a down payment. He requested this so he could bargain with his senior officials and then I was to bring the outstanding amount the following week.”
When Campbell informed the Home Affairs employee that he was having issues logging in, the official “then replied stating that the ‘guys’ were annoyed with him at that point as he had made them wait at the office until late” (on a Friday).
The “scammer” then deleted the Whatsapp conversations but a copy had already been made in order to secure evidence.
Campbell then

decided to seek an urgent police investigation as he feared that if he did not pay, he would not receive the visas and that he would be staying in South Africa illegally. Later, a visa agent was able to confirm that all the Campbell couple’s paperwork was still at Home Affairs, but in the stack still to be processed.
Meanwhile, Campbell is still waiting for the visas to be issued. “We have actually been able to leave the country and return, purely because the situation is so well known that the border officials allow it to be done on production of our receipts. However other officials like banks will not allow accounts to be opened without a valid current visa and it’s even difficult to renew the car licence.”
O’Sullivan has even taken up the case with the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa. “We did the case pro bono, to see if we could get something rolling for these pensioners. There are too many cases like this,” he wrote. Still, Campbell is waiting…
BizNews has written to Hawks boss Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya to ask for an update on the investigation.
Meanwhile O’Sullivan’s Forensics for Justice, have launched an application in the Pretoria High Court, to have the appointment of General Lebeya set aside.
According to O’Sullivan large swathes of the criminal justice system remain captured or populated by lazy and unethical officers.
“Pockets of the system still work and are populated by good quality professional police officials. But the pockets that do work properly are getting smaller and further apart,” he says.
He cites a recent murder case, where the investigating officer was so incompetent, that when he went with a colleague to request a new investigating officer, they were met with stiff opposition, from an incompetent Colonel, who clearly did not understand the job herself.
Commenting on the case of Chris Campbell, O’Sullivan stresses that the corruption within Home Affairs is so deep-rooted, it will take a very long time to get it working normal again.
“The very idea of introducing VFS into the system, as a middleman, with no decision-making process, only to handle the collection of documentation and biometrics, was to remove public face-to-face contact, and thereby remove the ability of a home affairs official to request a bribe. Now, the Home Affairs officials simply sit on everything, to await an official complaint, then the bribery mechanism kicks in.”
O’Sullivan says the meta data of the e-mails from the allegedly corrupt home affairs officials, proves that the e-mails originated from within Home Affairs. He therefore doesn’t buy the fobbing off of the corruption on the complainant’s email having been hacked.
When asked if it is likely to improve any time soon, O’Sullivan says: “It will ONLY change with a change of government, as there is no longer any part of government that functions well and free of corruption. V.5331

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is investigating corruption between home affairs officals and foreign nationals The Hawks and Special Investigating Unit (SIU) raided several home affairs offices across the country on Friday as part of investigations into alleged maladministration and corruption. Minister Aaron Motsoaledi was part of an operation at an office in Pretoria and told eNCA that similar raids were taking place in other locations after information received by a whistleblower. “The corruption is done by officials here and foreign nationals who don’t deserve to be in South Africa but have lots of money to bribe,” he said. V.5363
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Home Affairs Refugee Centres are being raided by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and the Hawks. (Alex Mitchley/News24) • The Special Investigating Unit has raided home affairs refugee centres around the country. • Home affairs officials` cellphones have been seized. • SIU boss, advocate Andy Mothibi, and Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi were present at the Pretoria raid. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) simultaneously raided all five of South Africa`s refugee centres on Friday morning as part of a corruption probe. It is understood that the unit is investigating corruption linked to the issuing of asylum and refugee papers to foreign nationals entering South Africa. V.5364
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Applying for critical skills work visa in South Africa as an artisan has been a challenge for the longest time. In 2014 when the current amendments to the Immigration Act were gazetted several gaps were identified in the Act which included the absence of a SAQA accredited professional body to register artisans. ECSA was not an option due to their minimum NQF criteria of 5 which was a notch above the rating being given by SAQA for artisans. There was a time letters issued by the National Artisan Moderation Body, (NAMB), were sufficient and then they were not. There was a time when registration with the South African Institute of Draughting was good enough and then it wasn’t. V.5365
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You might have obtained your work permit recently and second-guessing whether your visa is valid or not, this is a tricky situation to be in. There are many people out there who pretend to be immigration consultants or immigration lawyers only to scam you and issue you with a fake visa. The worst is being arrested or being detained in South Africa for something that you are not responsible and the Department of Home Affairs is coming down hard on these individuals. Many who don’t qualify for the critical skills are always looking at applying for the general work visa for South Africa and thus one of the most popular options to forge it because of how difficult it is to obtain it. While this could be true many temporary residence permits are forged throughout South Africa. V.5366
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Legal permission to work in South Africa is accessed by getting a visa. In you case it can be a relatives visa, spousal visa or life partner visa The whole question How I, a Zimbabwean man, can get a visa to be able to stay in South Africa and care for my seven-month-old child and her mother, when my critical skills visa expires in March and I cannot renew it as the skills list was changed this year. The long answer There are three possible visas: • Relatives visa; • Spousal visa; • Life partner visa. V.5367
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What is Permanent Residence? • What is Permanent Residence? • Can you buy permanent residency in South Africa? • What is Independent financial permit in South Africa? o But what does it mean to be financially independent? o There are many benefits with this visa when obtaining permanent residency such as: • How much do I need to invest in South Africa to get permanent residence? o What are examples of assets that could be counted as net-worth assets? • Can I add my family to the visa? o What do I need to add them to the visa? • What are the government fees for the visa? • • What happens if I dont qualify for the visa? V.5368
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Starting a business as a foreigner in South Africa can be an arduous task without enlisting professional help. There are a number of ‘hoops’ that must be circumvented and the process can be time consuming and a distraction from the all important task of establishing your business. At SA Migration Immigration we have assisted hundreds of entrepreneurs with their ambition to create a business in South Africa and are able to boast of an unrivalled track record of success, all based on what we believe to be the most comprehensive service available. Below we detail the important aspects of starting a business as a foreigner in South Africa but if you prefer to talk to a human being to discuss your needs, feel free to call us on any our contact numbers V.5369
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Table of Contents 1.What is eHomeAffairs? 2.Step-by-Step Guide to Using eHomeAffairs for Your Smart ID Online Application 3.What Do I Need to Start My Smart ID Online Application? 4.Bank Branches Offering Smart IDs 5.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) The South African Department of Home Affairs has introduced the eHomeAffairs portal, which is a significant advancement in streamlining the Smart ID online application process. This detailed guide delves into the user-friendly features of the platform, making Smart ID and passport applications convenient and accessible at just a click of a button. V.5358
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Bureaucratic procedures and a whole lot of red tape are the only things standing between Vincent and Emmanuel Tshituka and potential call-ups to the Springboks squad this year. To the average local sports fan, the Tshituka’s are just a set of brothers casually dominating rugby games for the Lions and Sharks, respectively. But there’s way more to their story and in order for them to reach their potential on the rugby field, the South African government in general, and the Department of Home Affairs in particular, need to come to the party. V.5359
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Foreign companies are leaving South Africa due to a hostile business environment, and the government’s response to recent departures discourages future investment. This is according to Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso, who explained in her most recent newsletter that the more attractive a country is, the more often you can expect investment to be made than withdrawn. “You can expect that foreign investors will come and go from South Africa, depending on many things, including global strategies and our links to the rest of the world,” she said. “But while decisions are inevitably going to happen both ways, the more attractive our country is, the more often you can expect investment to be made than withdrawn.” V.5360
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