PRETORIA-(MaraviPost)-The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has called for urgent criminal prosecutions following explosive findings by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into widespread corruption at South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs.
In a statement signed by the EFF’s national spokesperson, Sinawo Thambo, and released on Monday, 23 February 2026, the party said it was deeply concerned by what it described as two decades of fraud, corruption and maladministration within Home Affairs.
The party said the SIU report confirms that the department had been systematically captured by criminal syndicates operating from within the state.
According to the SIU’s findings, more than 2,000 study visas were fraudulently issued, while at least 20 officials have already been dismissed following internal disciplinary processes.
The report alleges that over a 20 year period, corrupt officials worked with intermediaries and external agents to sell visas, permanent residence permits and other immigration documents in exchange for large bribes and unexplained financial deposits amounting to millions.
The EFF expressed particular outrage over allegations that permanent residence permits were fraudulently facilitated for controversial religious figures, including Shepherd Bushiri and Timothy Omotoso.
The SIU reportedly found that Bushiri’s permanent residence application was processed irregularly and allegedly facilitated by a Home Affairs official linked to his church network.
Bushiri previously fled South Africa while facing serious criminal charges, while Omotoso has long faced public scrutiny over allegations of sexual abuse involving church members.
The EFF argued that the alleged manipulation of immigration processes to benefit individuals facing serious accusations represents a blatant abuse of administrative power.
The party said such actions go beyond administrative misconduct and amount to political protection of impunity. It warned that corruption within Home Affairs has had direct consequences for justice, public safety and national credibility.
The EFF further claimed that while ordinary Africans particularly those from war torn and struggling countries endure long queues and delays under harsh conditions, politically connected individuals were allegedly fast tracked and shielded.
The party said this dual system fuels social tension and xenophobic resentment, not because migrants are the problem but because corruption undermines fairness and transparency.
Blaming the governing African National Congress (ANC), the EFF said the political leadership that presided over the department during the period in question must be held accountable.
It argued that the problems at Home Affairs did not emerge overnight but flourished under successive administrations that failed to modernise systems, strengthen border control and insulate immigration processes from criminal networks.
The party is demanding immediate criminal prosecutions of all implicated officials and collaborators through the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), including asset forfeiture proceedings against those who benefited financially.
It added that investigations should not stop at junior officials but must extend to senior managers, former directors general and political office bearers who may have been complicit.
The EFF concluded by reiterating that corruption not migration is the primary threat to national stability, warning that when state institutions are captured and official documentation is sold to the highest bidder, public confidence collapses and those who attempt to follow lawful procedures suffer the consequences.