Pretoria - Former Tshwane ANC councillor Kgosi Maepa downplayed the disgraced former Tshwane’s mayor’s actions of submitting a fake insolvency rehabilitation certificate and said the main focus should be on how the DA has collapsed the municipality.
Maepa was speaking to Newzroom Afrika following the resignation of Tshwane mayor Dr Murunwa Makwarela of Cope after he submitted a fraudulent court order, purportedly proving he was a rehabilitated insolvent.
“The issue of Dr Makwarela is accomplished, he has resigned... the issues of whether his certificate was fake and so on, that he has dealt with it, he has resigned... The real issue here is that the DA has run the city down... There’s R10.5bn of unauthorised expenditure by the DA,” Maepa told the broadcaster.
Maepa was one the ANC members who defended Makwarela even after the DA and the media pointed out discrepancies on the document he submitted.
When asked about the responsibility he now takes as Makwarela has been exposed, Maepa said he can’t speak for the ANC in Tshwane because he is the new advisor of the Gauteng Premier.
BREAKING NEWS - Dr. Makwarela has sent a rehabilitation certificate (see email)!
— Kgoši Maepa (@kgosi_maepa) March 9, 2023
A lot of people had already judged him and trashed our Mayor to "political dustbin." DA racists are cruel, and sadly, the media was fast to sell their "false narrative."
Service delivery continues! pic.twitter.com/9M5pmqn6uX
“I was the councillor in the City of Tshwane and I know all the problems of Tshwane...The service delivery record of the DA in Tshwane is dismal...The issues are far more deeper than dealing with the issue of Makwarela, and he’s gone. We must look into the future about the services to the people and the things that must happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ANC in Tshwane said it is shocked that Makwarela submitted a fake document.
Speaking to Talk Radio 702 on Friday, the ANC’S Tshwane regional secretary George Matjila, said Makwarela had thrown them under the bus after he presented a fraudulent certificate to them this week and although they had their doubt, they gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Matjila said ANC members who had seen the letter raised issue with the letter referring to a “North Court” whereas they only knew of the North Gauteng High Court and the South Gauteng High Court.
“We are shocked that a person of his calibre, who has been the Speaker for over a year can do this kind of thing. We now have to ask ourselves how many documents which went through him have been faked.
“We are very concerned as the ANC,” he said.
The Hawks are now investigating Makwarela for alleged fraud.
IOL