Former Tshwane mayor Dr Murunwa Makwarela, who held office for a little while in 2023 has died after a short illness.
The illness he succumbed to is yet to be revealed. He was 52-years-old.
Family Confirms That Murunwa Makwarela Has Died
Adel Dube, the spokesperson of the Makwarela family, revealed to TimesLIVE:
“He was not well; it was a short illness, and he was admitted to the hospital in the early hours of this morning [Tuesday] but passed away.”
Tshwane Council Speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana expressed condolences:
“It is a sad day for us because we have lost an important person, a former speaker and mayor of Tshwane. Condolences to the family. It is God who blessed you with his life and it is him who has taken him.”
Dr Makwarela was also a church leader at the Pretoria-based Righteousness of God Ministries. Unbeknownst to him, he shared his last social media post yesterday, ominously stating:
“They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Saints, all believers hail from heaven but function on Earth. Earth is our post to fulfil the mandate we receive from God. Think about it: Jesus hailed from heaven to fulfil His God-given mandate. Our mandate will also one day finish when the day of the Lord comes. We’ll all be transformed and be like Him and stay with Him forever.”
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Unfinished Court Battles
Makwarela’s demise follows closely on the heels of his appearance in the Pretoria Commercial Crime Court just a week ago, facing charges of fraud linked to his insolvency status.
According to News24, his attempt to have the fraud case dismissed was unsuccessful.
Makwarela, a Cope councillor, ascended to the mayoral office in February 2023, succeeding Randall Williams after his resignation. However, shortly after his election, it emerged that the Pastor had been declared insolvent in 2016, which legally disqualifies individuals from holding public office.
To refute these claims, Makwarela presented a bogus rehabilitation certificate, claiming the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria issued it. However, the court denied issuing any such certificate, leading to Makwarela resigning barely an hour after the registrar’s letter became public.
The City of Tshwane then opened a fraud case against him because of the fraudulent fake rehabilitation certificate and his tenure as a councillor and Speaker, during which he earned over R1.4 million without disclosing his insolvency.
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