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An ANC member of the Mpumalanga provincial legislature is under police investigation for the possession of multiple identity documents (IDs) and passports, raising questions about his South African citizenship.
The charge against Simon Ngomana was laid by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Mpumalanga on August 13 after “insider” information from the Nelspruit department of home affairs allegedly suggested Ngomana had “10 identity documents and five passports”.
EFF provincial leader Collen Sedibe said Ngomana’s birth certificate could not be traced, prompting a charge of illegal immigration with the Nelspruit police.
Ngomana, who is also the deputy chair of the ANC in the Ehlanzeni region – which includes the City of Mbombela – said last week he had heard about the investigation, but neither the department of home affairs nor the police had approached him for comment.
He said the charge was an attempt to discredit him politically.
“They are trying to paint me black,” he said.
Another ANC member of the provincial legislature told City Press on condition of anonymity that the question of Ngomana’s identity would probably threaten his promotion to the provincial executive amid expectations that Premier David Mabuza would be reshuffling his cabinet.
Police in Nelspruit said the matter was still at the level of an inquiry, pending statements from witnesses and the receipt of documents from home affairs
