A junior minister in the South African government has called the country's failure to process visas for the upcoming cricket World Cup a 'national humiliation', as documents obtained by this newsroom reveal a trail of bureaucratic incompetence and apparent prioritisation of political connections over due process.
Mbulelo Ndabeni, the deputy minister of home affairs, did not mince words in an internal memo dated March 15, which was leaked to our reporters. 'What is unfolding is nothing short of a national humiliation,' he wrote. 'We are being exposed to the world as a nation that cannot organise basic administrative tasks.'
The World Cup, slated to begin in October, is expected to draw thousands of international visitors. But the visa processing system has been choked, with applicants facing delays of six months or more. According to sources inside the department, the backlog stands at over 15,000 cases.
At the heart of the crisis is a procurement scandal that has seen a company with no track record in visa processing awarded a contract worth R450 million. The company, Limpopo-based Swift Solutions, was registered only months before the tender. Its director, Bongani Zulu, is a former classmate of the home affairs director general, according to company records and interviews with former colleagues.
Swift Solutions was meant to digitise visa applications, but instead the system has all but collapsed. Emails obtained under freedom of information show warnings from departmental IT staff that the system was fundamentally flawed, but these were ignored. 'We raised red flags repeatedly. No one listened,' said a former systems analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The fallout has been international. The International Cricket Council has privately expressed frustration, with one official calling the situation 'a catastrophe for the tournament's reputation'. Several teams have reported that players and support staff are still awaiting visas.
Opposition parties are demanding a parliamentary inquiry. 'This is a failure at every level,' said Phumzile Ndlovu of the Democratic Alliance. 'We want the president to answer why a tender was pushed through for a company run by a family friend.'
Meanwhile, the minister of home affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has refused to comment. Her office issued a terse statement saying the department is 'working diligently to resolve all outstanding matters'.
But for those stuck in the queue, the words ring hollow. 'I applied six months ago. My plane ticket is non-refundable,' said a British tourist who planned to attend the tournament. 'I think I'm just going to stay home.'
The World Cup organisers are scrambling to find solutions, including a temporary waiver of visa requirements for certain countries. But the damage may already be done. As one former diplomat put it: 'This is a MasterClass in how not to host a global event.'
For South Africa, a nation already grappling with power cuts and economic stagnation, the visa debacle is another self-inflicted wound. And the question now is whether heads will roll before the first ball is bowled.
