The City of Tshwane has conceded that it did not have measures in place, to verify the authenticity of disgraced former Mayor, Dr Murunwa Makwarela’s rehabilitation order.
This is after Makwarela resigned as a councillor and Mayor of Tshwane, indicating to City Manager Johann Mettler that he is stepping down to protect the image of the office he occupies.
Makwarela, who is a member of the Congress of the People’s (COPE), resigned hours after the Gauteng High Court confirmed that his rehabilitation certificate was fake.
City of Tshwane’s head of communication, Selby Bokaba says this situation has opened the city up to finding ways to deal with verifying documents.
“We’re now focused on Tshwane but I think this issue is not only pervasive to Tshwane because you’ve got 257- municipalities across the country. So, all the municipalities would be impacted by this. Do the municipalities do the vetting, all the 257 municipalities, I doubt it. I don’t think they have that capacity but the issue of Dr Makwarela of course has opened us up to other avenues as to how do we prevent a recurrence of this matter. So, certainly, it’s something that as the city we will have to look into.”
Meanwhile COPE’s deputy president, Willie Madisha, says Makwarela must pay back all the monies he received since he began serving as a councillor in the metro.
“From the time when he became a councillor, a speaker and mayor. How much money that has he received. We have agreed with all the other parties, that money belongs to the people of SA not to his own pocket. So, if he has done all this kind of nonsense, the people of Tshwane and South Africa must say he must pay back all that money.”
