Zero Convictions for Crimes Using Fraudulent SIM Cards in South Africa
South Africa has seen no convictions for serious crimes committed using fraudulently registered SIM cards in the past five years, according to police minister Senzo Mchunu.
Alarming Lack of Prosecutions
Since 2020, law enforcement agencies have investigated 27 cases involving fraudulent SIM cards in serious crimes. Shockingly, only one arrest was made, and the case was later withdrawn.
This failure to prosecute occurs despite thousands of criminal cases annually involving SIM cards with fake, missing, or falsified registration details.
RICA System Failing to Deter Crime
Independent telecommunications expert Farhad Khan attributes this to the failure of South Africa’s RICA legislation, which mandates proper SIM card registration.
“Police statistics show 62% of extortion cases and 58% of mobile banking fraud involve unregistered SIMs,” Khan revealed. “The lack of RICA-related arrests emboldens criminals.”
Impact on Financial Crime Prevention
Khan warns that RICA’s shortcomings threaten South Africa’s efforts to exit the Financial Action Task Force grey list. Researcher Ratlohogo Rafadi echoes these concerns, noting most of the 165 million SIMs issued annually likely violate RICA requirements.
“This regulatory failure enables organized crime and erodes trust in digital financial systems,” Rafadi stated.
Proposed Regulatory Reforms
Experts recommend several key improvements:
- Tamper-proof SIM packaging
- Strict point-of-sale verification
- Biometric registration systems
- Clear distributor accountability
Khan emphasizes the need for broad consultation with government, industry, and civil society before finalizing RICA amendments currently before Parliament.