Zimbabwean National Nabbed In South Africa With Stash Of 582 Passports And R147,000 Cash

Zimbabwean Man Caught With 582 Passports And R147 000 In South Africa

A Zimbabwean national is in police custody after being caught with a massive stash of 582 passports and R147,300 in cash. South African police made the startling discovery during a vehicle search in Mpumalanga on Monday, 8 December 2025.

Authorities acted on a tip-off and stopped a white Chevrolet bakkie. Inside, they found hundreds of passports hidden in a secret compartment. Some of the passports had cash tucked inside them. Police also found a separate bag containing R20,000, bringing the total cash seized to R147,300.

Police Point To Passport Stamping Scam

Police spokespeople have directly linked the find to an illegal scheme to stamp passports. Captain Mpho Nonyane-Mpe stated the suspected purpose of the haul.

“Investigation thus far suggests that the driver was probably going to meet someone the next day to have the passports stamped. Police are of the view that the recovered cash was meant for payment.”

The 43-year-old suspect has been charged with fraud, money laundering, and contravening the Immigration Act. The vehicle was impounded.

A Practice Known As “Omalayitsha”

The arrest exposes the practice of omalayitsha – cross-border transporters. Undocumented workers, often Zimbabweans who enter South Africa visa-free, give their passports to these transporters. The transporters are alleged to pay bribes to get exit stamps placed in the passports. This fake stamp creates a record that the person has left South Africa, allowing them to stay and work illegally past their permitted 30-day visit.

Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi warned that more arrests could follow.

“We are following up this matter and will not leave any stone unturned. At this stage, the possibility of more arrests cannot be ruled out.”

Previous Cases Of Alleged Corruption

This is not a new phenomenon. IOL has reported on similar cases. Last year, an immigration officer was accused of accepting a R1,000 bribe to stamp an expired passport. In a separate 2024 incident, Border Management Authority (BMA) guards arrested a man at the Lebombo border with 34 passports and cash.

BMA spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi commented on that earlier arrest.

“During routine inspection, the BMA Border Guards discovered 34 passports accompanied by bank notes in the suspect’s possession.”

The recent bust is notably larger in scale. Among the 582 passports were documents from Mozambique and Malawi. The investigation continues to determine the full scope of the operation.