Today the election of the new City of Tshwane Mayor expected to take the centre stage at the special council sitting with Cope announced a new PR councillor to replace disgraced former Mayor Dr Murunwa Makwarela.
Makwarela resigned last week Friday after Gauteng High Court in Pretoria said his insolvency rehabilitation certificate was fake. He also quit as a Cope PR Councillor.
In a statement today the Gauteng Provincial Chairperson Thomas Mofokeng said another Congress of the People (Cope) member Justice Thabang was found to have two ID’s and a criminal record.
“Gauteng Province undertook a process to evaluate all prospective candidates for the vacant PR Seat in the Tshwane Metro as per the Cope Constitution prior to submitting the list to IEC Tshwane.
“Following from the above resolution the vetting processes revealed that Mr. Justice Thabang Sefanyetso who was submitted to the IEC list by the Tshwane Region is in possession of two ID’s and also has a criminal record.
“It was also discovered that the disgraced Dr Makwarela has been calling coalition partners in Tshwane requesting them to accept and support Mr. Justice Thabang Sefanyetso as the Cope PR candidate and Mayoral Candidate for Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality promising the partners ‘compensation’ if they accept Justice Thabang Sefanyetso and that he will help the candidate to run the city from outside,” he said.
Mofokeng said Sefenyetso’s membership has been withdrawn from the IEC list.
“Mr. Justice Thabang Sefanyetso has been withdrawn with immediate effect from the IEC list and his Cope membership has also been suspended with immediate effect pending his appearance before the Disciplinary Committee. This matter will be referred to SAPS and a case will be opened for an urgent investigation.”
He said that their vetting processes have been strengthened and the successful candidate to fill the vacant PR position in the Tshwane Metro has been identified and approved by Cope Gauteng Province and endorsement by the President, Mosiuoa Lekota.
DA MP Cilliers Brink is expected to contest for the top position and said he is “cautiously optimistic” to win.
“The DA is confident in bringing our 69 votes but if you look at councillors whose contracts were terminated from our coalition partners it is going to be a close race there is still a possibility that it can go the other way,” he said.
He also said he was concerned about the integrity of the Council voting process of the Cope councillor Sefanyetso.
