South African immigration: Bride suspects arrested for money

“By then they had obtained citizenship, so they brought in more people.

“This is (allegedly) a scam they are running.”

It is unclear how many people were involved in the alleged scheme or which countries the alleged payers came from.

Police said they were analyzing computers and hard drives at the scene to find more evidence.

The alleged office is located in a modest building on a suburban road.

It operated as a “secret internal affairs office”. Colonel Robert Netshiunda told national broadcaster SABC:, external.

“They were facilitating marriages, visas and other services that the Home Office would provide to South Africans.”

Someone from the government’s Interior Ministry may have been involved in the complex operation, according to police, who said they identified but did not arrest a potential suspect.

South Africa boasts the continent’s largest economy and attracts job seekers and immigrants from the wider region. as well as smaller numbers from Europe and Asia, external.

In recent years, there have been waves of anti-immigrant protests and violence targeting immigrants.

This became a campaign issue for the general election in May, and the Patriots Alliance (PA), now part of South Africa’s coalition government, was among the political groups accused of fueling xenophobia.