Five arrested in Lephalale for posing as Home Affairs officials, Nigerian businessman intimidated

Five suspects have been arrested in Marapong township, Lephalale, after allegedly impersonating officials from the Department of Home Affairs and telling a Nigerian businessman he could not operate his lounge in South Africa.

What happened

According to Limpopo police, the incident occurred on 9 July 2026 when a group of community members confronted the owner of a local lounge and ordered him to close, claiming that as a foreign national he had no right to operate a business in South Africa.

“The complainant was subsequently escorted to the Department of Home Affairs offices in Lephalale, where his immigration documents were verified and confirmed to be valid,”

The businessman opened an intimidation case at Lephalale Police Station.

Police action and arrests

Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said that, acting on information received, members of the Lephalale Visible Policing Unit, detectives and Public Order Policing conducted a planned operation.

During the operation, officers arrested five suspects aged between 20 and 58 at different residential addresses in Marapong Township during the early hours of 13 July.

Ledwaba said one of the suspects will also face an additional charge in connection with a separate intimidation case.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects were among the instigators mobilising community members against undocumented foreign nationals and encouraging the unlawful removal of foreign nationals from the township,”

Ledwaba said, adding that the suspects were identified through ongoing investigations, including the analysis of available evidence.

Authorities’ response

Acting Limpopo provincial police commissioner Major General Jan Scheepers reiterated that communities may not enforce immigration laws.

“Such functions are the sole responsibility of duly authorised law enforcement and government officials,”

Scheepers urged community members to report concerns about undocumented persons to the relevant authorities rather than taking the law into their own hands.

What comes next

The five suspects are expected to appear in the Lephalale Magistrate’s Court on 15 July. Police investigations are continuing, Ledwaba said.