Murunwa Makwarela, who was Tshwane Mayor for only two weeks, passes away

Johnathan Paoli

Former Tshwane mayor Murunwa Makwarela has passed away, with initial unconfirmed reports claiming that he suffered from a “short illness”.

Controversially, Makwarela’s mayorship lasted only two weeks, following revelations that he had been declared insolvent in 2016, thus making him ineligible for public office.

He was forced to resign while maintaining his innocence, with his party COPE subsequently firing him as a member.

At the time a case of fraud was also opened against him by the City of Tshwane, after he submitted a fraudulent certificate allegedly proving his successful rehabilitation. 

The same certificate was disputed by the court that allegedly issued it.

Sadly, Makwarela’s woes didn’t end with the premature termination of his mayorship. 

Last week he appeared in the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court, where he failed to have the matter around his controversial certificate struck off the roll, with the prosecution requesting a postponement in order