Tshwane city manager faces ANC push for removal, three years on

The ANC wants to remove highly regarded Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler, three years after his appointment.

The party’s Tshwane regional secretary, George Matjila, has raised questions about Mettler’s appointment. The three issues now raised were not flagged at the time of the appointment.

Mettler is regarded as one of South Africa’s most qualified and technocratic city managers: he has an LLM from Lund University in Sweden, an LLB and BProc from the University of the Western Cape, and has worked in local government since 1995.

He has served as an administrator brought in to stabilise dysfunctional municipalities and was city manager of the Drakenstein and Nelson Mandela Bay councils.

“Whatever legal pretext the ANC coalition devises, the point is that the party would prefer one of their own deployed cadres – not an independent professional – in the job of municipal manager,” said Cilliers Brink, the DA Tshwane caucus leader and former mayor.

He said Mettler had come under attack in council several times. “The most notable of these attacks happened when it became clear that the city would not drop the case against the Rooiwaal Five, city officials implicated in the irregular tender award to a consortium of ANC funder Edwin Sodi.”

Sodi won the tender for repairs to the Rooiwaal Waste-Water Treatment Plant, which were botched and caused severe downstream water contamination, most notably affecting the Hammanskraal community.

Brink has written to Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya of ActionSA about the growing attacks on the city manager.

“ActionSA’s position is clear and consistent: we will not support the removal of any senior manager unless there is a clear, lawful and governance-based reason for doing so. [We] will not compromise the integrity of governance in Tshwane for the sake of political expediency. We remain committed to a principled, lawful and stable administration that serves the best interests of residents,” the party said.

Matjila has now raised concerns – three years after the fact – about the interview panel for Mettler’s appointment and his qualifications under the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).

Mettler was appointed when former mayor Randall Williams took office and remained in office through Brink’s tenure.

Brink said the panel that made the appointment complied with regulations for senior managers. Mettler had also completed the MFMA qualifications he needed.

“…The legal implications of asking council to reverse an appointment at this stage remain uncertain and require careful consideration,” ActionSA said.

The ANC holds 75 of 214 seats in the Tshwane council and governs with support from the EFF (23) and ActionSA (19), along with smaller parties. The DA has 69 seats. The attempt to axe Mettler could destabilise governance in South Africa’s capital. DM

This article has been updated to attribute the letter questioning Johann Mettler's appointment to George Matjila rather than Jacob Mamabolo as originally reported.