City of Tshwane Employee ‘Prince’ Arrested for Identity Theft After 13 Years of Service
Pretoria – A City of Tshwane employee, whose fingerprints did not match those linked to his Green ID book while attempting to apply for a Smart ID, has been apprehended after confessing to being an imposter using someone else’s identity.
The individual, informally known as “Prince” at work, had been employed by the City of Tshwane for around 13 years when the inconsistencies were recently uncovered.
The issue escalated when the Office of the Chief Operations Officer (COO) tasked the City of Tshwane’s Forensic Services Division to investigate suspicions of identity fraud.
In a statement released on Sunday, 17 August 2025, the City of Tshwane elaborated on how the imposter managed to evade detection for a significant duration: ”Investigations revealed that the individual had been employed by the city since 2012, using the name Mr. Mohlaume Geoffrey Mamabolo, despite discrepancies with the official identity document on file.”
The statement continued: “The Department of Home Affairs confirmed that the genuine Mr. Mamabolo’s identity document was issued in 2013, and the associated identity number had been blocked after ‘Prince’ attempted to apply for a smart ID card.
“His fingerprints did not correspond with the records in the Home Affairs database, raising concerns that he might be a foreign national.”
In the early hours of Friday, 15 August 2025, officials from the City of Tshwane’s Forensic Services Division, along with officers from the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), confronted “Prince” at the water treatment facility.
The City of Tshwane reported that Prince could not provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the ID inconsistency.
He struggled to remember details about his background or education, ultimately confessing that he was not Mr. Mamabolo.
“He further admitted that the fraudulent ID document was given to him years ago by someone in Polokwane,” the statement clarified.
Investigators also discovered that “Prince” lacked permanent residency and had been residing on municipal property since beginning his employment there.
“Given the prima facie evidence of stolen identity, misrepresentation, violation of the Immigration Act, and fraud, TMPD officers arrested him and handed him over to the South African Police Service in Lyttelton.”
Prince is set to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 18 August 2025.
The City of Tshwane highlighted that the arrest was executed swiftly “due to the security risk posed by his continued presence at the water treatment facility.”
The COO’s office, in conjunction with Group Human Capital Management, will initiate the appropriate labor relations procedures to address the matter further, according to the City of Tshwane.