The McLaren crash that unveiled a web of alleged corruption

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) said it has uncovered a disturbing reality: South Africa’s immigration system has been treated as a marketplace, where permits and visas were sold to the highest bidder, stating that Nigerian rapper Prince Daniel Obioma, who crashed his R3 million McLaren in Sea Point, exploited his influence and is an example of this.

In a statement issued to the media, SIU said officials entrusted with safeguarding the integrity of the Department of Home Affairs instead turned their positions into profit-making schemes, while external actors, including Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, Mr Kudakwashe Mpofu, and Nigerian rapper Prince Daniel Obioma (also known as 3GAR), exploited influence, fabricated documentation, and manipulated systemic weaknesses to secure fraudulent residence permits.

Last year, Obioma made headlines after he crashed his R3 million McLaren, which was caught on camera at high speed.

Eric Ntabazalila, Regional Communications for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), confirmed that Prince Daniel Obioma has been formally charged: “The NPA can confirm that the case against Prince Daniel Obioma will be on the roll on April 9 at Cape Town Magistrate’s Court. He is charged with driving under the influence of liquor or drugs and reckless or negligent driving.”

Nicholas Gotsell, MP-DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice, has questioned why the matter has taken months to reach the court roll. “The confirmation that the Nigerian rapper, who put people’s lives at risk in March last year when he used High Level Road in Sea Point as his personal race track, will finally appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court is welcome, but it raises serious and uncomfortable questions about why this matter took so long to reach this point,” he said.

“Why did SAPS not detect that he had no documentation to be in the country when investigating the alleged driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs case months ago, and why did it take more than a year to bring the Nigerian rapper to court in the first place?

“The work of the SIU in uncovering visa fraud and organised corruption networks is commendable, as is the continued effort by the Minister of Home Affairs to root out corruption and racketeering. However, this also exposes glaring failures in the policing and investigative process.

"How was someone allegedly in the country unlawfully able to purchase and drive luxury vehicles, live a lavish lifestyle, and operate across provinces without raising red flags? His vehicle was registered in Gauteng, yet he was living and driving in Cape Town. Why were his identity documents, address, and passport not verified after a serious crash? These are basic investigative steps that should have been taken immediately.”

He said the DA will urgently write to Western Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile to demand answers.

“To investigate, the SIU obtained a Special Tribunal order and, with the assistance of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), searched five Refugee Reception Offices, seizing laptops, desktops, cell phones, external drives, and files; 237 items were imaged for cyber forensic analysis,” said the SIU in a statement issued.

It added that cell phone analysis revealed communication between officials and foreign nationals, with payments via E-Wallet ranging from R500 to R3,000, facilitating the unlawful issuing of permits and visas to unqualified individuals.

“Payments were made through various methods: cash hidden in application forms, with office doors closed to avoid cameras; E-Wallet deposits using non-RICA-registered or fraudulently RICA-registered numbers; asylum seekers sending E-Wallet payments to themselves and providing OTPs to officials; and in-kind payments, such as covering officials’ private rent or services. Officials used dummy phones to conceal transactions and communication."

SIU stated their investigation revealed that officials are selling citizenship to fund a luxurious life: The nefarious syndicate by the adjudicators. A nefarious syndicate is a coordinated group of department officials responsible for the lawful processing, adjudication, and receipt of visa applications. However, they have engaged in behaviour suggesting systemic corruption and illicit enrichment, in violation of their official duties.

"The SIU can reveal that, so far, we have uncovered that four officials who earn less than R25,000 per month have received a total of R16,313,327.00 in direct deposits," it said.

It added that SIU’s investigation shows that certain officials turned the permit system into a marketplace. It said their modus operandi was simple: applications were sent via WhatsApp for expedited approval, and once approved, money flowed almost immediately and that payments were not made directly to officials but funnelled through accounts held by their spouses, deliberately disguising the bribes.

It mentioned the case of Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and said he leveraged his influence, church networks, and fabricated documentation to secure a fraudulent immigration status.

On the McLaren Investigation, it said: “The SIU also investigated a Nigerian national linked to a high-profile McLaren crash in Cape Town. One individual, Mr Prince Daniel Obioma, overstayed his visitor’s visa in 2023, remained illegally in South Africa until his departure, and later re-entered the country without a record,” SIU explained.

“Despite his unlawful status, he was identified in the McLaren accident in March 2025. His unexplained re-entry highlights serious failures in border management and movement control systems.”

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