An undocumented migrant was arrested after posing for more than a decade as an employee of the Rietvlei Water Treatment Plant in Tshwane. The suspect, known as “Prince,” allegedly used the stolen identity of Mohlaume Geoffrey Mamabolo to secure a municipal job in 2012.
City spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the scam only came to light when the Department of Home Affairs flagged inconsistencies.
“His fingerprints did not match the records in the Home Affairs database, raising suspicions that he might be a foreign national,” Bokaba explained.
The discovery followed a probe by the city’s Forensic Division into payroll irregularities, which aimed to uncover fraudulent employment practices within municipal structures.
Undocumented migrant arrest at Rietvlei Water Plant
Authorities moved swiftly once suspicions were confirmed.
“In the early hours of Friday, Forensic Services, supported by TMPD members, confronted ’Prince’ at the water treatment plant,” Bokaba said.
The man allegedly failed to explain the discrepancies in his identity documents, nor could he provide details of his upbringing or schooling.
According to Bokaba, the suspect confessed that he was not Mr Mamabolo. He further revealed that an individual in Polokwane supplied him with the fraudulent identity document years earlier.
Fraud Review in Progress
The man has since been charged with identity theft and contravention of the Immigration Act. He is expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
City officials confirmed that the case forms part of a larger effort to expose ghost employees and strengthen oversight within Tshwane’s payroll system.
“This operation forms part of a broader fraud detection review of the city’s payroll system aimed at rooting out ‘ghost employees’ and verifying the validity of all employee identity numbers,” Bokaba stated.
The municipality said it will continue to tighten verification processes to protect public resources and restore confidence in its operations.
Do you believe municipalities are doing enough to protect taxpayers’ money from fraudulent employment schemes?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
