The former City of Tshwane Executive Mayor, Murunwa Makwarela was granted a R10 000 bail by the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court this morning where he faced charges of fraud and uttering of a forged document, the Hawks said in a statement.
Makwarela was arrested this morning and after being granted bail, the case against him was postponed to 02 May 2023 for disclosure and instructions, the Hawks said.
“It is reported that the accused just after being elected the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane was alleged to have previously been sequestrated. But he indicated he had been rehabilitated.
“He was then requested by the City to provide proof of the rehabilitation. The proof was provided on his behalf by his actuary which upon further internal investigation by the City was found to be fraudulent hence the opening of a formal case,” said Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mathebe.
“The case was referred to the Gauteng Serious Corruption Investigation for further exploration. The team found that the rehabilitation certificate was disputed by the Pretoria High Court. The accused was charged with two counts of fraud and uttering resulting in his arrest this morning,” she added.
The Cope candidate, Makwarela was mayor for a brief period before allegations surfaced that he was financially insolvent which disqualified him from holding public office. He then produced the certificate that was alleged to be fraudulent.
