Work/residence permit (Pretoria)

My wife has accepted a job offer in Pretoria and I would be following her as a spouse. We have now heard that in order to get a work and a residence permit, you have to have a police clearance from each and every country you have worked/lived in for more than a year since the age of 18. Has anybody experience, good or bad with the same issue?
Now as far as I can see that poses a problem, I have lived in 8 and my wife in 7, not counting our home country. Presently we are living in China but we would need clearances from countries such as Kenya, Zimbabwe,Vietnam etc. etc. and I can't really see us being succesful in getting clearances from all of the countries.

Any comment, advice would be highly appreciated.

Bent