By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The City of Tshwane’s legal services will investigate the newly-elected mayor Dr Murunwa Makwarela’s solvency rehabilitation certificate.
Makwarela’s rehabilitation notice, submitted on Thursday to city manager Johann Mettler, cleared the way for his return as the mayor of Tshwane.
But questions have been raised about the authenticity of the rehabilitation certificate, and the complaints were so grave that they warranted a legal probe.
On Friday, the City of Tshwane’s head of communications, Selby Bokaba, confirmed that Mettler had asked that the certificate be investigated.
“City manager Johann Mettler has requested Legal Services to investigate certain aspects around the rehabilitation notice that was presented to him by councillor Murunwa Makwarela yesterday. This was done as a consequence of various issues that were brought to his attention during the course of yesterday,” Bokaba said.
Makwarela was initially disqualified from his position as PR councillor after he could not produce a rehabilitation certificate by 7 March.
He was sequestrated in August 2016.
In terms of Section 158 (1) of the Constitution he was ineligible to hold a public office as a councillor because of his insolvency status.
Despite his sequestration, he was elected as a councillor and speaker and, on 28 February, as the mayor of Tshwane.
Coalition partners the DA, ActionSA, FF+, ACDP, and IFP were against Makwarela’s ascension to power after him and his political party Cope broke ranks with them by accepting a nomination to be elected Tshwane mayor.
Makwarela was backed by EFF and the ANC and won against the coalition’s preferred candidate, former DA MP Cilliers Brink.
Tshwane multiparty coalition partners indicated that they would take legal steps to verify the validity of Makwarela’s clearance certificate.