Ex-Tshwane mayor Murunwa Makwarela’s fraud case postponed

Disgraced former City of Tshwane mayor Dr Murunwa Makwarela’s fraud case has been postponed to later this month.

Fraud case

Makwarela appeared briefly on Tuesday in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court facing two counts of fraud.

This is in relation to allegations that he defrauded the City of Tshwane of over R1.4 million in remuneration from 1 November 2021 to March 2023, when he served as a councillor from Congress of the People (Cope), speaker of council, and later the mayor of the metro.

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During Makwarela’s court appearance, the matter was postponed to 17 May 2023 to allow his lawyers time to brief him as well as for him to sort out his financial situation.

It is alleged that Makwarela failed to declare to the Electoral Commission of South Africa and the City of Tshwane that his estate was placed under final sequestration on 8 August 2016, that he had not been rehabilitated yet, and that he was ineligible to be elected as a councillor during the 2021 municipal elections.

Fake insolvency certificate

The state further alleges that on 9 March this year, Makwarela submitted a forged insolvency clearance certificate in his bid to stay on as the metro’s mayor. He resigned as Tshwane mayor and Cope councillor on 10 March, after the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria said the insolvency certificate was a counterfeit.

Makwarela’s case was previously postponed to May for the disclosure of the docket and instructions after he was granted bail of R10 000 during his first court appearance.

The 51-year-old asked to be released on bail and submitted an affidavit where he told the court that he intends to plead not guilty to the fraud charges against him.

Bail conditions

The State Advocate Willem Van Zyl did not oppose his bail application. However, he asked the court to impose strict conditions that Makwarela should hand over his passport to the investigating officer (IO) and that he may not leave Gauteng without prior permission obtained from the IO.

Moreover, Makwarela is not allowed make contact directly or indirectly with any personnel employed by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, Office of the Chief Justice, Tshwane’s municipal manager and any personnel of the electoral commission.

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