MBABANE – Misiwe Jele, a prominent pastor’s wife and assistant immigration officer, was arrested and brought before court yesterday.
Msiwe is facing 14 charges of alleged corruption related to the fraudulent issuance of government entry permits to foreign nationals. Jele, attached to the permit section of the Ministry of Home Affairs, is accused of abusing her position to unlawfully grant entry permits, bypassing established legal processes.
According to the charge sheet, Jele allegedly ‘directly or indirectly’ gave, agreed to give, or offered to give seven foreign nationals the advantage of possessing and/or issuance of Eswatini Government Entry Permits without proper authorisation from the Entry Permits Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Declarations
Furthermore, she is accused of making ‘false declarations or statements’ to the Ministry of Home Affairs, falsely claiming that the Entry Permit Committee had approved the issuance of these permits. The prosecutors allege that Jele knew these declarations were misleading and intended to assist the foreign nationals in obtaining the permits illegally. Each falsified permit constitutes two charges, one of fraud and one of corruption, resulting in 14 total charges.
During her court appearance yesterday, the prosecution requested that Jele be remanded in custody until March 27, 2025, pending the setting of a trial date. However, the Crown also stated that it would not oppose bail should Jele apply for it. Through her Lawyer, Derrick Jele, Misiwe applied for bail, promising to adhere to all conditions imposed by the court.
She emphasised her status as a liSwati citizen, born and raised in Eswatini and asserted that she would not evade trial. Her lawyer requested that bail be set at E5 000, arguing that this amount was appropriate for the alleged offences and noting that the Crown had previously indicated no objection to this sum.
Mbabane Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi granted Jele bail of E5 000, with the condition that she must not interfere with Crown witnesses.
She was also warned against committing similar offences while on bail and ordered to attend all scheduled remand hearings. Due to the late hour, the court allowed Jele to pay her bail at the Mbabane Police Station, following an application by her lawyer.
Misiwe’s arrival in court was marked by a degree of confusion. She was brought in by investigators and initially taken to the underground parking area used for transporting inmates. After a brief meeting with her lawyer, Misiwe left the accused dock and lingered in the passage used for inmate exits, creating a moment of confusion for journalists attempting to photograph her.
A brief attempt by her lawyer to distract the press by offering to be photographed himself, added to the confusion. The accused then exited the court with an investigating officer. The initial investigation into the alleged corruption in the Ministry of Home Affairs began in 2022, it revealed a syndicate charging between E30 000 and E50 000 for fraudulent refugee status and passports, leading to the transfer of over 100 immigration officers and the government’s plan to install a E3.9 million security surveillance system.
The ongoing investigation has already resulted in the arrests of individuals like Delight Moyo, a Zimbabwe national suspected of acting as a middleman, Assistant Immigration Officer Mboneni Nkosinathi Zwane, who faces 26 charges and Benjamin Mensah Larbi from Ghana.
Documents
The ACC has also uncovered a South African syndicate manufacturing government documents and a pattern of civil servants operating from their residences, selling documents like birth certificates, IDs and passports. The arrest of the pastor’s wife brings the number of those arrested in connection with the alleged corrupt activities at the Home Affairs to 16. The ACC’s investigation into 250 cases, including this one, continues to expose the deep-seated corruption within the ministry.
Adding to the international scope of these crimes, an Ethiopian national wanted in Eswatini for fraud, theft and corruption, Kadebe Shanko Abose, was arrested in South Africa earlier this year, highlighting the transnational nature of these criminal networks. Busiswa Sibiya, who has served 17 years at the ministry, is accused of having directly or indirectly given or agreed to give one purported Sonkhe Magongo and any other person, an advantage in the registration of a personal identification number (9702106100946). Her actions have been viewed as an abuse of her position of authority and a breach of trust.
