An Ethiopian foreign national has been caught operating an unlicensed pharmacy, tuck shop, and restaurant — all under one roof — in what enforcement authorities are describing as a blatant violation of South Africa’s business and immigration regulations. The bust has sparked serious questions about how foreign nationals are managing to run multiple unlicensed operations on South African soil without detection, and more disturbingly, whether some officials are actively shielding them from accountability.
What makes this particular case even more alarming is what happened during the raid itself. A Department of Home Affairs immigration officer, who was present on the premises, was caught on camera defending the Ethiopian national rather than enforcing the law. When confronted about the individual’s immigration status and whether he was legally permitted to operate a business, the officer reportedly claimed that “it is an asylum seeker’s choice to seek asylum in any country he wants.”
That statement, caught on video, has since circulated widely and drawn fierce criticism from South Africans who feel that officials entrusted with enforcing immigration law are instead running interference for those breaking it. Legal analysts and immigration experts were quick to point out that the officer’s assertion is not only factually incorrect — it directly contradicts South Africa’s own Department of Home Affairs Revised White Paper on International Migration, which states clearly that asylum seekers are required to apply for asylum in the nearest safe country, in line with internationally recognised conventions.
Put simply, an asylum seeker does not have the unfettered right to bypass multiple safe countries and choose South Africa as their preferred destination. That is not how refugee law works, and a Home Affairs official of all people should know that.
Ethiopian National Busted for Running Pharmacy, Tuck Shop and Restaurant Raises Fresh Questions About Immigration Enforcement
The case throws a spotlight on a problem that has been growing for years — foreign nationals operating businesses they are not legally permitted to run, often while holding asylum seeker permits that explicitly prohibit formal business activities in South Africa. Asylum seekers in this country are not automatically entitled to operate commercial enterprises, particularly in sectors like pharmaceuticals, which carry strict licensing requirements designed to protect public health and safety.
Running a pharmacy without the proper licences is not a minor administrative oversight. Dispensing medicine without the required qualifications and regulatory approval poses a direct risk to the communities these shops serve. South Africans, many of whom live in under-resourced areas with limited access to healthcare, can be put in genuine danger when unqualified individuals sell medication without oversight.
Our sources indicate that raids of this nature are becoming more frequent as community pressure on law enforcement to act mounts. Civil society groups and local business owners — particularly in townships and dense urban areas — have been increasingly vocal about what they describe as a two-tier system of enforcement, where South African business owners face the full weight of regulatory compliance while unlicensed foreign-operated outlets are left to trade freely.
What is equally concerning is the apparent lack of consequence for the Home Affairs official captured on video undermining the enforcement operation. If officers tasked with upholding immigration law are actively working against those efforts in the field, the integrity of the entire enforcement framework is compromised. South Africans deserve to know what disciplinary steps, if any, are being taken.
The Department of Home Affairs has not publicly commented on the officer’s conduct or the specific raid at the time of publishing. SA Report will continue to monitor this story as it develops.
This case is not just about one shop in one city. It is a reflection of systemic failures in how South Africa manages, monitors, and enforces compliance among foreign nationals operating within its borders — and the urgent need for officials who actually know and apply the law they are employed to uphold.