- Former Tshwane mayor Murunwa Makwarela is not the mayor of Tshwane despite his insistence that he still holds the role.
- News24 has been told Makwarela's mayoral perks have been withdrawn.
- The Cope member insisted on Wednesday that he was the mayor and would produce proof of a clearance certificate on his sequestration.
Murunwa Makwarela insists he is still the mayor of Tshwane, but the City has stressed that there's no mayor in the metropolitan municipality.
News24 has been told by those close to the matter that Makwarela showed up at the City's offices on Wednesday, but "he drove himself there and no longer has access to VIP protection".
Makwarela's perks as mayor, including security and a driver, have been withdrawn following his failure to prove that he was not insolvent.
News24 was told on Wednesday morning that Makwarela informed Tshwane staffers that "the status quo remained" and he was still the mayor.
Tshwane City manager Johann Mettler wrote to the IEC in Gauteng on Tuesday, notifying it that there was a vacancy for a councillor following Makwarela's disqualification.
This means there was no mayor, and Cope's PR seat in the council would have to be filled by another party member.
In a statement Makwarela said that, through his lawyers, he was organising proof to show the council that he had been rehabilitated. He added that he would hold a press conference as mayor to clarify issues and said he planned to take Mettler to court.
Makwarela's actions were contrary to a statement from his party, Cope. Party spokesperson Dennis Bloem said the party was shocked by Makwarela's "illegal activities".
According to the IEC, it was the responsibility of the political party and the political representative to verify the status of disqualification.
An IEC candidate letter from Makwarela, seen by News24, shows he had indicated that he had been sequestrated. But no clearance certificate or explanation was included in this application form.
The court order on the sequestration, dated 26 August 2016, does not include a certificate confirming Makwarela's rehabilitation.
Both Bloem and Cope Gauteng interim leader Mxolisi Ntombela blamed Cope's former provincial leadership for not vetting Makwarela.
"The whole process of identifying candidates and knowing the candidates' background is the provincial leadership's responsibility. We are extremely concerned about this matter, and we leave no stone unturned before we know the truth," Bloem said in a statement on Wednesday.
Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba told News24 that Makwarela was not the mayor, and the city manager had followed all processes by alerting the IEC of a councillor vacancy.
Makwarela had initially asked that he be allowed until Wednesday to produce his clearance certificate, but Bokaba said this was impossible because the city manager could not aid fraudulent activity.
"The city manager wanted to be on the right side of the law. You cannot postpone unconstitutional and unlawful behaviour. So, there is a vacancy [for a] Cope councillor," Bokaba said.
Makwarela threatened to file an urgent court interdict but has yet to do so.
However, he sent a legal letter, dated 8 March, to Mettler demanding that he apologise and withdraw the notification to the IEC of a vacancy in Tshwane.
"We are instructed by our client to demand the following; that you withdraw your letter dated 7 March as addressed to the IEC. That you issue a statement to the media that you erred in your allegation that our client cannot [provide] proof of rehabilitation," Witz Inc Attorneys wrote in a letter to Mettler, seen by News24.
Witz Inc threatened to file an urgent High Court application if Mettler did not accede to the demands.