The City of Tshwane's newly elected mayor has been disqualified to lead the city after it was discovered that he was declared insolvent in 2016. Cope's Dr Murunwa Makwarela is disqualified in terms of Section 47(1)(C) of the Constitution, which states people who are unrehabilitated insolvent cannot hold public office as a councillor. Makwarela was elected last week Tuesday through a secret ballot after he was nominated for the position by the African Transformational Movement (ATM). Makwarela received 112 votes against 101 received by the DA's Cilliers Brink, who resigned from Parliament as an MP to take up a seat in the council. Makwarela, who was the speaker in Tshwane, was nominated for the mayoral position from the floor by the African Transformational Movement (ATM) last Tuesday.

 MAYORAL POST VACANT

The office of the city manager Johann Mettler wrote to the Gauteng Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), informing them of the mayoral vacancy. Mettler's office said in a statement that it had served Makwarela with a notice to prove he has since been rehabilitated, but he failed to provide any evidence. The city manager also gave Makwarela until the end of today to respond to the allegations or the city will hold elections to elect a new mayor. 

MISLEADING THE PUBLIC

The DA's Jacqui Uys said Makwarela failed to disclose his insolvency status and that he further misled the public by accepting nomination as speaker of the council and later as mayor of the ANC-EFF coalition in Tshwane. "He must be held to full account for his actions. What is important now is that the City of Tshwane holds an election for a new executive mayor as soon as possible, and preferably next week, and for parties in the council to place the city's stability above self-interested political games and schemes," Uys said.