Sorry about your plight. I have applied for conversion and it's being dragging for about a year now. Recently, I got what looked like a breakthrough and I'd like to share with you. Using members of the KZN provincial exco of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, I was able to secure a fax number, which I gave to the relevant persons at the traffic department where I applied. My documents have since been faxed and have been received at the consulate and I await their response - hopefully, this shouldn't drag. The relevant people at the Nigerian consulate office in Johannesburg claimed not to have received anything from the traffic department despite claims by the traffic department to the effect that they have failed in their attempts, which have been many, to reach the Nigerian consulate about license conversion and also that it is only in the case of Nigerians that they (the SA traffic department) experience this problem. I don't want to go into whatever is happening in the consulate, but just to give you this fax number: 0114420010. You may want to advise the local traffic office where you applied to fax your documents to the Nigerian consulate rather than email it. I hope you get the help you need. Best.

madejibo:
Some Nigerians in South Africa have lamented alleged corrupt practices of officials of the Nigerian Embassy in Ilovo, Johannesburg.
They accused the officials of high-handedness in several things, including the collection of illegal fees for confirmation of driving licenses and passport renewal.
According to them, Nigerians go through hardship to do all these things while their foreign counterparts are given better treatment.
Ayodele Efunsetan (not real name), who is a student based in Johannesburg, told The PUNCH that money was usually collected from Nigerians by the embassy for them to have their driving licenses converted to South Africa’s.
Efunsetan, who has stayed in South Africa for two years, narrated an experience he had while processing a driving license.
He said, “The process is usually very simple. South African authorities will send the Nigerian embassy a message, asking for a confirmation of your Nigerian driving license and after that, the person is issued the South African license.
“My friend stays in Cape Town, and he met someone in the Traffic department of the embassy, who sent a message via an e-mail to the Nigerian embassy three months ago. There was no response. From Cape Town to Johannesburg, it is just 20 hours by road and two hours by flight.
“Since I stay in Johannesburg, I went to the embassy. The workers said they did not receive any message. I told my friend and he pleaded with the South-African officials to resend the message, which they did on August 24.”
Efunsetan said a week after, there was still no response, forcing him to return to the embassy.
He said after waiting for five hours, he was told the official in charge did not resume for duty. He said he was frustrated because he had yet to bribe the officials.
He lamented that Nigerians in South Africa were made to go through harrowing pain for passport renewal. He noted especially that the two men (names withheld), who sat behind the counters, were behind the problem.
“The legal fee for passport renewal is $160, which you pay online with your credit card. But when you get to the embassy, one of the two men will say you must pay an additional 120 Rand, for which there is no receipt. He says if you want the passport fast, you must pay 2,000 Rand, which is about N28, 000.
“If you don’t pay, your may never get your passport even after six months,” he added.
It was learnt that to get a passport, Nigerians were sometimes mandated to get a letter of recommendation from the Nigerian Union in South Africa.
The association, it was gathered, worked for the Nigerian embassy, and in a way, it was an avenue to milk Nigerian citizens in South Africa.
Another Nigerian, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said people were mandated to pay 2,500 Rands to be a member of the group.
“If you want to get a new passport, they will ask you to bring a letter from the Nigerian Union. This union actually works pari pasu with the embassy. And before you get their letter, you must pay 2,500 Rands, which is the registration fee.
“Foreigners, who go to the embassy because they want to travel to Nigeria, get their visa the same day. I asked a foreigner I met at the embassy if he was coming for the first time and he said ‘yes.’ I asked him when he would be travelling to Nigeria and he said the next day. This man got his visa the same day. They call it ‘Express Visa’ and the fee is very high,” he said.
Another Nigerian, who did not want to be identified, said there was a syndicate in the embassy in Johannesburg.
The Cape Town-based worker alleged that one of the two men behind the counter in the Nigerian embassy headed the syndicate and the Nigerian Union was the group’s tool.
He said, “Firstly, you have to have a US dollar account to pay for the passport application online. Because majority of Nigerians don’t have that, the Nigerian Union in South Africa collaborate with officials of the embassy and the Nigeria Immigration to use their personal account to transact the payment of the fee and charge about 600 to 800 Rand.”
www.punchng.com/news/nigerians-in-safrica-decry-corruption-in-embassy/

The accusations you level against the Nigerian Union are severe, and if they are true then it's a shame indeed. But my experience of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, certainly in the KwaZulu Natal province, and in Pietermaritzburg has been different. Nigerians are generally offered needed help by the Union and one prominent member, Chris Ifeacho, has been outstanding in using NUSA as a tool to offer needed help. About the issue of getting a passport, I don't know what you mean by having a US dollar account - this is totally false! I paid for my passport myself using my South African bank account to which a credit card is linked. I can attest that some debit cards can accomplish this too. The online system for registration has clear rules regarding payment as far as I know. If anyone decides to give their money to someone to do the payment for them then it's probably the result of ignorance. In Pietermaritzburg where the Union assists with passport issues, people can pay directly themselves or if they need help from the Union, they are asked to pay an additional R400 to the official passport fee. This R400 is used to rent the space at Protea Hotel Edward, where officials of the consulate are hosted for two full days and where Nigerians from the entire province gather. Now you might wonder why they ought to pay R400 because one would expect the consulate to cater for the needs of its officials who go the provinces to assist with passports. The truth is that I don't know - I do suspect that these officials get huge travel bonuses but end up demanding extra money and the Union is made to pay for the Hotel facilities. The rest of the money once payment for the hotel facility has been settled is supposed to go to the coffers of the Union. You might debate about whether this additional fee is too high, but there is no secrecy about what this money is used for. And I don't excuse the underlying lack of transparency and corruption that means that people have to pay an additional R400. But to talk about R2500 as payment is strange, as far as I know. And to talk about systemic corruption within the Nigerian Union in South Africa would need more substance - again, I have only spoken about one province, and I have not claim that there are not individuals within this province that engage in extortion in the name of passports. My point is to make clear the official practice of the Union, certainly in the province I refer, on these matters.

Trust me, I have been victim of the nonsense going on at the consulate office in Johannesburg, and I detest the blatant corruption and lack of responsibility that is openly displayed by people who are supposed to offer help to Nigerians in a foreign country. But I am equally keen to acknowledge where some of our people in this country who are active executive members of the Nigerian Union are going out of the way to ensure that people get the service they need - and here I have to mention Mr Chris Ifeacho who is the provincial secretary of the Nigerian Union in KZN who is working tirelessly to ensure that the most recent difficulties Nigerians experience in trying to convert their licenses to South African one is a thing of the past.

I refer anyone who is reading to my earlier response to the main contributor that gave birth to this thread - Mr Chris Ifeacho was the one who was able to get the Consulate office to provide an alternative avenue -i.e. a fax number - which I have posted on this forum, to the SA traffic department in Pietermaritzburg. People in other provinces experiencing similar difficulty can help themselves to this number to facilitate the conversion of their license.

Many of our officials act shamelessly, but we must also steer clear of lodging blanket allegations that taint badly Nigerians who are contributing positively - and some of them are part of the Nigerian Union in South Africa.

@madejobo.... I will like to have a discussion with you about moving to SA pls inbox vanessameg4u@yahoo.com

boritza:


The accusations you level against the Nigerian Union are severe, and if they are true then it's a shame indeed. But my experience of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, certainly in the KwaZulu Natal province, and in Pietermaritzburg has been different. Nigerians are generally offered needed help by the Union and one prominent member, Chris Ifeacho, has been outstanding in using NUSA as a tool to offer needed help. About the issue of getting a passport, I don't know what you mean by having a US dollar account - this is totally false! I paid for my passport myself using my South African bank account to which a credit card is linked. I can attest that some debit cards can accomplish this too. The online system for registration has clear rules regarding payment as far as I know. If anyone decides to give their money to someone to do the payment for them then it's probably the result of ignorance. In Pietermaritzburg where the Union assists with passport issues, people can pay directly themselves or if they need help from the Union, they are asked to pay an additional R400 to the official passport fee. This R400 is used to rent the space at Protea Hotel Edward, where officials of the consulate are hosted for two full days and where Nigerians from the entire province gather. Now you might wonder why they ought to pay R400 because one would expect the consulate to cater for the needs of its officials who go the provinces to assist with passports. The truth is that I don't know - I do suspect that these officials get huge travel bonuses but end up demanding extra money and the Union is made to pay for the Hotel facilities. The rest of the money once payment for the hotel facility has been settled is supposed to go to the coffers of the Union. You might debate about whether this additional fee is too high, but there is no secrecy about what this money is used for. And I don't excuse the underlying lack of transparency and corruption that means that people have to pay an additional R400. But to talk about R2500 as payment is strange, as far as I know. And to talk about systemic corruption within the Nigerian Union in South Africa would need more substance - again, I have only spoken about one province, and I have not claim that there are not individuals within this province that engage in extortion in the name of passports. My point is to make clear the official practice of the Union, certainly in the province I refer, on these matters.

Trust me, I have been victim of the nonsense going on at the consulate office in Johannesburg, and I detest the blatant corruption and lack of responsibility that is openly displayed by people who are supposed to offer help to Nigerians in a foreign country. But I am equally keen to acknowledge where some of our people in this country who are active executive members of the Nigerian Union are going out of the way to ensure that people get the service they need - and here I have to mention Mr Chris Ifeacho who is the provincial secretary of the Nigerian Union in KZN who is working tirelessly to ensure that the most recent difficulties Nigerians experience in trying to convert their licenses to South African one is a thing of the past.

I refer anyone who is reading to my earlier response to the main contributor that gave birth to this thread - Mr Chris Ifeacho was the one who was able to get the Consulate office to provide an alternative avenue -i.e. a fax number - which I have posted on this forum, to the SA traffic department in Pietermaritzburg. People in other provinces experiencing similar difficulty can help themselves to this number to facilitate the conversion of their license.

Many of our officials act shamelessly, but we must also steer clear of lodging blanket allegations that taint badly Nigerians who are contributing positively - and some of them are part of the Nigerian Union in South Africa.

Nigerian Union that has told Nigerians living in SA to come and collect Identity cards, what do we need identity cards for when we have Int'l passports.

Some sanity now appears in our embassy in Johannesburg, thank God for this report.

Tell me something new about the useless country called nigeria

That is not an embassy that is some ghetto.

Eeyah

Thank you so much for this! I was looking for other reviews as I had a similar situation at the consulate. However I am a South African applying for a visa. When I sent in my documents everything is fine and correct however the guy at the embassy wanted me to pay R2000 to ensure my visa is approved. I refuse to pay a bribe. I submitted my documents with OIS and days later was told my visa has been rejected. I called to find out why and there is no straight answer. I decided to call the guy from the embassy again and he told me if I'd just given him the R2000 instead of wanting to do everything myself I would have my visa by now.

I'm sure it's either this Femi or Ifeanyi guy mentioned. He initially told me his Nigerian name then later told me his name is Sam. I have the WhatsApp messages he sent me when he started asking for the bribe, I'm just trying to find a way to expose him but now I'm not sure it's worth it because everyone here seems to think the whole embassy knows that these guys ask for bribes.