By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Embattled City of Tshwane metropolitan municipality executive Mayor Dr Murunwa Makwarela has resigned with immediate effect.
Makwarela sent a letter to Tshwane City Manager Johann Mettler indicating he is stepping down as Tshwane mayor “to protect the image of office I occupy”.
His resignation comes hours after the Gauteng High Court confirmed his rehabilitation certificate was fake.
Makwarela used the certificate to prove that he was a cleared of his insolvency so he could return to office as mayor of Tshwane. He said in the resignation letter that he was not “admitting guilt” but wanted the city to move forward with a focus on service delivery.
Makwarela, who’s a COPE and PR councillor, was elected a mayor last week following the resignation of the DA’s Randall Williams three weeks ago.
COPE’s National Spokesperson Dennis Bloem said they were going to have meeting with Makwarela as they view the allegations against him faking court documents in serious light.
“We, as COPE, are going to meet with him. We will issue a statement after that meeting. We view this as a very serious issue.”
This was after DA’s Solly Msimanga had said Makwarela’s documents were not adding up.
“In his own declaration of the 2021 LGE submission from Congress of The People (COPE) to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), he says that he is not solvent. Now, how did you then declare that you are not solvent in 2021, yet in 2018 you have a court order that says you are then solvent? So, things don’t add up here. This is why we are going to be asking for a copy from the registrar of the court of this particular court order. If it is found that it is not there then he will be in a heap of trouble for having forged a court document,” says Msimanga.
The representatives of the metro’s multi-party coalition – ActionSA, Freedom Front Plus, Inkatha Freedom Party, and African Christian Democratic Party – said on Friday they would be laying criminal charges against Makwarela at the Brooklyn Police Station.
“These charges relate to allegations that Makwarela knowingly supplied falsified and fraudulent documentation to the City of Tshwane,” their joint statement read.
The coalition said residents had been left “dismayed” by “shameless politicking”, and deserved for their elected representatives to be held accountable.
The city meanwhile is considering whether to institute legal proceedings to recover the salary paid to Makwarela when he was a councillor.
According to City of Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba acknowledged that the City’s image has “taken a hammering” from this whole saga.
“We cannot run away from that. All these things that have happened leading up to today’s situation point to instability in the institution and they have damaged the Tshwane brand,” he said.
Bokaba confirmed Mettler has already since informed the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of the PR councillor vacancy for Cope.
“Cope knows what to do, that they have 21 days to engage with the IEC and give the name of Makwarela’s replacement,” he said.