In another twist to the Tshwane Executive Mayoral saga, Dr Murunwa Makwarela has been reinstated as the Mayor with immediate effect after his lawyer said there was proof that he had been rehabilitated following his sequestration in 2016.
The law doesn’t allow council members who are sequestrated to be in public office.
Yesterday his lawyers sent a letter to the Metro’s City Manager Johann Mettler informing him that Makwarela would be reinstated and added that as the withdrawal of the vacancy declaration was submitted within 21 days, Makwarela is able to return to his role as Tshwane Mayor.
Mettler then informed the Gauteng Provincial Electoral Officer that Makwarela has been reinstated.
“Accordingly, all the benefits and perks accorded to Dr Makwarela as the executive mayor of the City of Tshwane have forthwith been reinstated,” said Tshwane Head of Communication Selby Bokaba in a statement.
Now opposition parties are beginning to question the authenticity of the document Makwerla has produced to prove that he was rehabilitated from sequestration.
Freedom Front Plus Chief Whip Dr Corne Mulder in a television interview said the rehabilitation certificate was suspicious and should be looked into.
“I think we should look at the so-called rehabilitation certificate with a huge magnifying glass. I think we have a reason to believe there is a huge problem here,” he said.
He said the sequestration and rehabilitation documents should have different numbers but in Makwarela’s case they were the same.
Makwarela was appointed last month to be a mayor after he switched sides having served as the Speaker under a DA-led coalition which collapsed.
He joined the ANC led coalitions which didn’t have the numbers to remove DA Mayor Randall Williams from power but some councillors from the DA coalition voted with the ANC. This led to the ANC backed coalition taking over.
A similar situation happened in Johannesburg Metro in 2022 where a Cope councillor Colleen Makhubele switched from DA coalition to ANC-backed collaboration where she was voted and elected a Speaker.
ActionSA President Herman Mashaba told Newsnote on Thursday evening that they will bring the motion of no confidence next week against Makwarela.
“In Tshwane we have the numbers as coalition partners unlike in Joburg where the DA refused to get the Patriotic Alliance on our side. We really don’t know why the DA gave Joburg to the ANC grouping however, in Tshwane they (ANC) don’t have a chance because we have the numbers it is just we delayed in finalizing this then in the process eight of our coalition members – we don’t don’t know who -voted with the opposition,” he said.
Mashaba said this was why the party was forging ahead with a polygraph test to find out who of the eight councillors voted with the opposition.
“We are busy investigating this matter and can assure the residents and South Africa that if ever there are those who voted with ANC, we are going to expel them,” he said.
