Pretoria - Embattled Tshwane council speaker Dr Murunwa Makwarela has dismissed as “lies” allegations that he was suspended for being implicated in sexual harassment while working at the Joburg Fresh Produce Market.
In an interview with the Pretoria News, Makwarela said his accuser, Tiyiselani Babane, who held the position of strategic executive in the speaker’s office until Thursday, led a political smear campaign against him.
“This thing about sexual harassment is all lies. It is all a smear campaign… The story of Joburg will take a very bad turn because just a week after I was appointed, I was about to suspend a chief executive involved in serious allegations at the market. There were no charges levelled against me,” he said.
Makwarela was responding to damning allegations made against him by Babane, who had accused him of failing to disclose to the council an alleged sexual harassment case before he assumed office as speaker.
Among the allegations contained in a letter penned by Babane were that he abused his political power by demanding VIP protection more than a month before he assumed office.
The letter surfaced during last week’s council meeting at Tshwane House, when the ANC raised concerns about the seriousness of the allegations.
Babane took issue with Makwarela, accusing him of using his political influence to interfere in the administrator’s work.
A special council sitting was expected to be convened this week to discuss allegations against Makwarela, who won’t be part of the proceedings as he is implicated.
Makwarela, who is a sole Cope councillor in the Tshwane metro, said the allegations were referred to the council’s rules and ethics committee for investigation.
He asked that the committee be afforded time to investigate and make a proper determination.
He said the ANC was politicking about the matter, and that it would also be exposed for playing to the gallery.
Regarding allegations that he was under police investigation for alleged corruption, Makwarela said: “If there were cases involving police and so on, you wouldn’t make it on to the IEC’s list, because the IEC checks all the candidates…”
He e would be vindicated. “I am a man of God for your information. I am an apostle. So, I am used to attacks because Christ said we will be attacked in this world. It goes with the position I have in the kingdom of God.”
Pretoria News