Garth Mngomezulu

Garth Mngomezulu
Member of the National Assembly
In office 9 May 1994 – 1 June 2006
Constituency	Mpumalanga
Personal details
Born	Garth Piet Mngomezulu (1952-02-20) 20 February 1952 (age 72)
Citizenship	South Africa
Political party	African National Congress

Garth Piet Mngomezulu (born 20 February 1952)^[1] is a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2006, representing the Mpumalanga constituency. In August 2006, shortly after he vacated his seat, he was convicted of having defrauded Parliament in the Travelgate scandal.

Legislative career

Mngomezulu was elected to the National Assembly in the 1994 general election^[2] and subsequently gained re-election in 1999^[1] and 2004.^[3] He represented the Mpumalanga constituency and served as a party whip for the ANC during his third term.^[4] He resigned from Parliament in the middle of his third term,^[5] vacating his seat on 1 June 2006.^[6]

By the time of his resignation, Mngomezulu was facing criminal charges for his involvement in the Travelgate scandal, which concerned the abuse of parliamentary air-travel vouchers by MPs. In October 2006, he signed a plea deal with the Scorpions, in terms of which he pled guilty to fraud in the Cape High Court.^[7] The fraud concerned an amount of R235,000 in service benefits and he was sentenced to pay a fine of R100,000 or serve five years' imprisonment; he was also sentenced to a mandatory five years' imprisonment, suspended conditionally.^[8]

References

1. "General Notice: Notice 1319 of 1999 – Electoral Commission: Representatives Elected to the Various Legislatures" (PDF). Government Gazette of South Africa. Vol. 408, no. 20203. Pretoria, South Africa: Government of South Africa. 11 June 1999. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
2. South Africa: Campaign and Election Report April 26–29, 1994. International Republican Institute. 1994. Retrieved 13 April 2023 – via Yumpu.
3. "General Notice: Notice 717 of 2004 - Electoral Commission – List of Names of Representatives in the National Assembly and the Nine Provincial Legislatures in Respect of the Elections Held on 14 April 2004" (PDF). Government Gazette of South Africa. Vol. 466, no. 2677. Pretoria, South Africa: Government of South Africa. 20 April 2004. pp. 4–95. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
4. "Have vouchers, will travel". The Mail & Guardian. 20 August 2004. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
5. "Payback time for Travelgate MPs..." IOL. 28 May 2006. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
6. "National Assembly Members". Parliamentary Monitoring Group. 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
7. "Travelgate: 14 plead guilty". The Mail & Guardian. 16 October 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
8. "National Prosecuting Authority on travel voucher fraud MPs". South African Government. 16 October 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2023.