The Executive Tshwane Mayorship is vacant again following the North Gauteng High Court decision that current Mayor Murunwa Makwarela’s rehabilitation certificate is ‘fake’ forcing him to vacate his seat with immediate effect.
The coalition parties in the Metro DA, ActionSA, FF+, IFP and the ACDP have opened a case at the Brooklyn police station against Makwarela. Cope in Tshwane in the City confirmed in a statement that Makwarela has resigned as the Mayor.
“We duly accepted the resignation of Dr Murunwa Makwarela as the Executive Mayor of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality following the questions raised over the legitimacy of his Rehabilitation Certificate or Court Order. The Region believes that these matters are sub judice and would not want to comment on it at this stage,” read the statement.
The party said it has since fired him.
“In the light of the development with the courts, the region has also resolved to withdraw Dr Makwarela as a COPE Public Representative with immediate effect from the IEC and therefore as the Public Representative in the City of Tshwane Council.
“The due processes will be followed for the removal and a suitable candidate to take over as the Councilor will be announced in due course.”
In a statement the court’s registra Tumelo Ledwaba said there was no rehabilitation order issued by the court in relation to Makwarela’s rehabilitation after being sequestered a few years ago.
This week Makwarele was removed from the mayorship when it surfaced that he was declared insolvent in 2016 and there was no trace of his rehabilitation.
Then yesterday he was reinstated after producing what looked like a genuine certificate of rehabilitation which turned out to be fake on scrutiny.
But the Tshwane City Manager Johann Mettler instructed the legal services to investigate the authenticity of the insolvency clearance certificate of Makwarela.
Yesterday his lawyers sent a letter to Mettler informing him that Makwarela would be reinstated and added that as the withdrawal of the vacancy declaration was submitted within 21 days, Makwarela was able to return to his role as Tshwane Mayor.
Mettler then informed the Gauteng Provincial Electoral Officer that Makwarela has been reinstated.
Then a few hours ago, Ledwaba in a letter sent to the Chief Justice said the certificate presented by Makwarela was never issued by the court.
“I, Tumelo Refilwe Ledwaba, the Chief Registrar of the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria, hereby confirm that the document purporting to be an order issued by this court was never issued in our court.
“I also confirm that no rehabilitation order has ever been issued regarding the parties named in the said document. I am referring this matter to the office of the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations for criminal proceedings,” she said.
