'This is a rude interruption to my work' — Tshwane mayor, Murunwa Makwarela on insolvency probe

Tshwane mayor Murunwa Makwarela has slammed the probe into his finances, citing it a “rude interruption” to his work.

Makwarela broke his silence before a Tshwane council sitting scheduled for Friday morning to reassure residents he was back at work.

“There has been a whirlwind of events after the city manager wrote to me requesting that I supply a rehabilitation certificate, which I did.

“I have never seen such a frenzy of interest into the pockets of an African man. The narrative that is driven is that I am bankrupt and insolvent. Nonetheless, I have complied with the request of the city manager and he rescinded my exclusion as a councillor and mayor of the city,” said Makwarela.

Tshwane city spokesperson Selby Bokaba revealed earlier on Friday that city manager Johann Mettler has requested legal services to investigate aspects around the rehabilitation notice submitted by Makwarela after suspicion concerning its authenticity arose.

This comes after Mettler discovered Makwarela’s insolvency case dating from 2016 that would have disqualified him from holding public office.

However, Makwarela insisted he was rehabilitated and was reinstated shortly after producing a document allegedly proving this.

“I know there is a lot of noise around whether the letter is authentic or not but the matter is under investigation and my lawyers are on top of it and they will communicate further.

“However, I am here, I have a lot of work. This was a rude interruption into my work,” said the embattled mayor.

Makwarela added that he was due to announce his mayoral committee and turn around the dire situation of the city but faced obstacles due to the recent events of his short-lived eviction.

“My desk is full with matters that I have to attend to. I'll be going back to fulfil that work. The residents of Tshwane are awaiting a whole lot of service delivery.

“The city is also due to table a budget adjustment and annual report, and the adverse audit report that we need to address as soon as possible,” said the mayor.

Makwarela added that his mayoral duties take priority and accused “a political party of peddling a narrative that is quite unfortunate”.

“We need to follow the rules; its always safe to play by the rules. The courts are there to test these things, and the city manager, so we don't come up with knee-jerk reaction and to subject me to media courts. It's unfair,” said the mayor.

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