By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
City of Tshwane has approached the Hawks to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the affairs of former speaker and mayor, Dr Murunwa Makwarela.
Council spokesperson Selby Bokaba says the unit was approached earlier this week.
“It appears to us that Dr Makwarela remains an unrehabilitated insolvent and as such he was ineligible to become a council speaker, a councillor as well as the executive mayor. So we’ve asked the Hawks to look into that and confirm the veracity thereof,” he said.
“The second thing we’ve asked the Hawks to look into is the document which he called a court order, which appears to be fraudulent.”
Makwarela was declared insolvent in August 2016.
Although the law prohibits insolvent people from holding public office, he was elected as a councillor after the 2021 municipal elections.
It will determine whether there is a case for his prosecution and the category of charges he will face if prosecuted.
Cope meanwhile nominated Justice Sefanyetso as a replacement for Makwarela.
Cope’s interim secretary in Gauteng Mxolisi Ntombela said they don’t believe there is any truth to claims that Sefanyetso has a criminal record and two identity documents.
“The region of Tshwane is satisfied with Sefanyetso and he has now been recognised by the IEC. The allegations are not true and we are distancing ourselves from that media statement.
The IEC has declined to comment and directed the inquiry to the Tshwane Municipality.
ActionSA has also fired two of its councillors in Tshwane for betraying it and voting with the African National Congress (ANC).
The party announced through a statement that it terminated the memberships of Mandla Mhlana and Mpho Baloyi.
The pair join Nkele Molapo as the three ActionSA councillors in Tshwane sacked this week.
In a statement released on Friday, the party said its internal investigations showed that Mhlana and Baloyi voted with the ANC in the election of Dr Murunwa Makwarela as mayor, and Mncedi Ndzwanana as speaker of Tshwane.