Africa-Press – South-Africa. Former Tshwane mayor Murunwa Makwarela is facing fraud charges and is expected to make his first appearance in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on Monday morning.
Makwarela handed himself over at the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria early on Monday morning.
He is expected to make an appearance in court later in the morning.
Makwarela is facing charges of fraud for submitting a forged document, according to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
The City of Tshwane had approached the Hawks to probe Makwarela for fraud, after he submitted a fake insolvency clearance certificate.
Makwarela had attempted to remain as mayor and produced a “court document”, which he claimed was evidence that he had been cleared of his insolvency.
The document, which he said was issued by the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, was declared fake.
The High Court issued a statement stating that the court had never published an insolvency clearance certificate for Makwarela.
Makwarela resigned on 10 March, saying he was saving the City from a public backlash, but insisted that he was innocent.
The City of Tshwane has yet to estimate how much it plans to recover from Makwarela, who had served as a councillor since November 2021, and earned perks as speaker of the council, the position he held before being elected mayor.
The law does not allow people who were declared insolvent to hold public office. This means Makwarela was illegally elected as a councillor following the municipal elections in 2021.
News24 previously reported that the City was awaiting the outcomes of the Hawks probe before determining how much it planned to recover from Makwarela.
His removal as mayor led to significant uncertainty in the City and questions about political stability.
DA councillor Cilliers Brink was elected mayor last week, replacing Makwarela.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
