SOWETAN | Were other councillors checked?

Just as he began to settle into his mayoral seat at the City of Tshwane, Cope councillor Murunwa Makwarela was shown the door this week after it emerged that he had been declared insolvent and unless he could prove his rehabilitation, he did not qualify to hold a position in council. 

For at least two days, Makwarela could not produce his rehabilitation certificate, despite insisting that he had gone through the process.

As he dug in his heels claiming that he was still a mayor, city manager Johann Mettler informed the Independent Electoral Commission to declare a vacancy in council and Makwarela’s party, Cope, said it was preparing to field another candidate to replace him in its proportional representative seat. 

Yesterday morning, Makwarela finally submitted his rehabilitation certificate, subsequently leading to his reinstatement. 

Let us be clear. In a country such as ours with a troubled economy and households drowning in debt, insolvency ought not to be seen as reprehensible. 

However, our constitution rightfully places a much higher expectation on individuals who wish to hold public office to demonstrate that they have a solid handle on their own finances before exercising any influence over the public purse. 

Second, as the city’s accounting officer, Mettler was empowered and compelled by law to act accordingly upon receiving information that the mayor’s eligibility to hold public office was in question. 

Worth noting is the DA’s politics of convenience as highlighted by this saga. Since 2021, Makwarela has served as a councillor in a coalition government with the DA. 

There is no public record of the DA raising questions about his eligibility – assuming of course they became aware of his insolvency during that time. 

It is only after they were removed from power last week that Makwarela’s history became a convenient bombshell for the DA to drop. 

Most important, this episode raises a crucial question about the city’s vetting processes on those who are elected before they assume public office. 

It suggests that Mettler’s predecessors failed to exercise due diligence on the eligibility of councillor candidates as compelled by law. The people of Tshwane got to know about Makwarela’s matter only because of the position he now holds. 

The question then is, how many more councillors escaped the requisite checks and balances and continue to fly under the radar because administrators simply looked the other way?