Ex-Tshwane mayor Murunwa Makwarela granted R10k bail

Former Tshwane mayor Murunwa Makwarela has been granted bail of R10 000 by the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria.

Makwarela appears in court

Makwarela, 50, made his first court appearance on Monday after he handed himself over earlier in the morning at the Brooklyn police station.

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The former disgraced mayor faces two counts of fraud and one of uttering related to allegations that he submitted a forged insolvency clearance certificate in March in his bid to stay on as the metro’s mayor.

Makwarela was granted bail because the court found that he was not a flight risk and would not evade trial.

The state did not oppose his bail application.

Hawks investigation

Last month, the City of Tshwane approached the Hawks to investigate Makwarela for fraud over allegations that he submitted a forged insolvency clearance certificate.

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The former Congress of the People (Cope) councillor was elected Tshwane mayor on 28 February and it emerged that he was insolvent and could not continue to be the city’s mayor.

Makwarela then submitted an insolvency clearance certificate on 7 March to the city manager, which he claimed was from the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.

However, questions were raised over the legitimacy of the certificate, with the registrar of the North Gauteng High Court confirming that the document was not issued by the high court.

Makwarela resigned as Tshwane mayor and Cope councillor on 10 March.

His case was postponed to 2 May 2023 for disclosure and instructions.

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