Latest news with #Mettler
The Citizen
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Tshwane mayor responds to claims over city manager's appointment
The Tshwane mayor's office has broken its silence over growing calls for the removal of city manager Johann Mettler, saying that the matter is being taken seriously. Mayoral spokesperson, Samkelo Mgobozi, confirmed that the mayor, Nasiphi Moya, received formal correspondence from the Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs regarding the compliance of senior manager appointments. 'We are aware of the recent public statements made by various parties and have taken note of them,' Mgobozi said. 'The mayor has formally responded to the MEC and fully appreciates the seriousness of the matter and the public interest.' This comes after the ANC's Greater Tshwane Region called for Mettler to be replaced, claiming his appointment was 'unlawful and riddled with irregularities'. According to ANC regional co-ordinator, George Matjila, Mettler's appointment in September 2022 disregarded key legal requirements and should be declared null and void by the courts. He said the process was characterised by 'a contemptuous disregard for the law to advance the narrow interests of a few'. Matjila raised his concerns during a press briefing held by the ANC on Friday. 'It creates a mockery of the prescripts on the appointment of senior managers.' The ANC alleges that Mettler failed to meet several critical requirements for the position. The party argues that when the post was advertised in March 2022, the requirements included 12 years of relevant experience, of which at least five years had to be at the senior management level. ALSO READ: Shocking circumstances at Akasia police station lead to intervention Matjila claims Mettler only had 11 years of experience at the time of his shortlisting and interviews. 'He should have been eliminated at the initial stage of shortlisting. His inclusion among the shortlisted candidates is unlawful and irregular. 'Therefore, the appointment of Mr Mettler as the city manager is null and void and stands to be set aside by a competent court,' he said. He also raised concerns about the composition of the selection panel that oversaw the appointment process. Matjila said the Municipal Systems Act stipulates that the selection panel for the position of a city manager must include a maximum of two councillors. However, the ANC alleges that the panel included four councillors, which contravenes the legislation. 'This violation alone renders the entire process invalid,' said Matjila. Another issue raised by the ANC is Mettler's alleged failure to meet the minimum competency requirements set out in the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). The act requires senior municipal officials to attain specific financial management competencies within 18 months of their appointment. According to Matjila, Mettler had not met these requirements at the time of his appointment and failed to reach them before the 18 month deadline, which was at the end of February 2024. 'The contract of employment of the city manager automatically terminated in March 2024. His continued employment is therefore unlawful,' said Matjila. The ANC has vowed to ask its councillors to call for a special council meeting to debate the validity of Mettler's appointment. Matjila stated that their councillors will make sure that the speaker convenes a meeting as soon as possible, so that the council can take a resolution to reverse this allegedly illegal appointment. 'We will also push for the city to seek a declaratory order in court to officially set aside the appointment.' In response to these allegations, city manager Johann Mettler directed enquiries from Rekord to the metro's head of communications, Selby Bokaba. Bokaba stated that the city manager would co-operate with any investigation into his appointment, provided it was fair and transparent. Meanwhile, the DA has dismissed the ANC's accusations as 'baseless and politically motivated'. DA Tshwane caucus leader Cilliers Brink defended Mettler's appointment and said the ANC's ultimate goal was to replace Mettler with one of their 'deployed cadres'. In a statement, the Freedom Front Plus agreed with the DA, saying Mettler and his management team stand in the way of efforts to destabilise the administrative order and integrity of the metro. 'We warned the mayor against any move to terminate Mettler's appointment [and not] to use flimsy legal arguments to pressure him to resign,' Brink said. 'The ANC doesn't want someone in the position of municipal manager who exercises independent judgement and who does not bend to party political loyalty and pressure.' Brink praised Mettler's experience and qualifications, saying he is one of the most respected and experienced municipal managers in the country. He said Mettler served as municipal manager in Drakenstein and Nelson Mandela Bay and even led an ANC government intervention team in 2015. 'He holds the legislated minimum competencies under the MFMA and has since completed all necessary qualifications,' Brink said. The DA also questioned why no concerns were raised at the time of Mettler's appointment. Brink said, 'The MEC for local government received a full report on the appointment process in 2022. 'No irregularities were flagged, and no investigation was ordered. National Treasury also never raised concerns about Mettler's competencies.' He accused the ANC of exploiting technicalities to destabilise the metro's administration. Brink said the real problem is cadre deployment, which has caused many municipalities around the country to fail. 'The ANC wants to recycle politicians into positions that should be occupied by independent professionals like Mettler,' Brink added. The DA said it will consult its legal team and oppose any attempt to remove Mettler. Brink added that they will not allow this technical argument to undo an appointment made almost two years ago. 'The mayor must now make her position clear on whether she supports her coalition partners in trying to fire Mettler.' Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Daily Maverick
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
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. Gauteng MEC for Local Government Jacob Mamabolo has weighed in with a letter about Mettler's appointment, showing that threats by the city's governing coalition to get rid of Mettler are becoming more serious. The three issues now raised by the provincial leader – who has oversight powers over the metro – 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. Mamabolo 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). Brink, who was mayor at the time of Mettler's appointment, 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.
IOL News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
DA supports Tshwane municipal manager amid ANC's challenge
Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler has faced criticism from the ANC over his 2022 appointment, which they claim was unlawful. Image: File The political battle over Tshwane municipal manager Johann Mettler's 2022 appointment is set to intensify in the coming weeks, with the DA backing him amid the ANC's continued efforts to have him removed over legality concerns. The ANC plans to mount efforts to remove Mettler by having its councillors request Speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana to convene a special council meeting to debate the validity of his appointment. On Friday, ANC regional secretary George Matjila said the party will also push for a council resolution to file a court application seeking a declaratory order to declare Mettler's appointment unlawful and have it set aside. In response, the DA is consulting lawyers to act against such an attempt and has called on Mayor Nasiphi Moya to pronounce her stance on the latest attack to get rid of Mettler. The ANC's attack on Mettler centres on three main grounds, which include his alleged lack of qualifications at the time of appointment in 2022, irregularities in the selection panel's composition, and his failure to acquire the required minimum competency levels within the 18-month period that ended on February 28, 2024. 'Therefore, the appointment of Mr Mettler as the City Manager is null and void and stands to be set aside in a competent court,' Matjila said. Mettler is accused of lacking the requirement of 12 years' experience, with at least five years at a senior management level, as he has only 11 years' experience. Matjila claimed that the selection panel's composition contravened the Municipal Systems Act, as it included four councillors instead of the prescribed maximum of two. DA Tshwane caucus leader Cilliers Brink dismissed the claims, highlighting Mettler's experience as municipal manager in Drakenstein and Nelson Mandela Bay. He added that Mettler was also involved in drafting the White Paper on Local Government in the late 1990s, making him one of the most experienced local government practitioners still working. Brink said Mettler possesses the minimum competencies required by the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and completed the necessary courses in 2023. He noted that the National Treasury and the Finance Minister have never questioned Mettler's competencies under the MFMA. Regarding the composition of the interview panel, Brink said the panel was in compliance with the regulations.
IOL News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Why DA appoints independent civil servants like Mettler, and why ANC wants him removed?
History might be repeating itself in the City of Tshwane, where Johann Mettler now works as municipal manager, says Cilliers Brink Image: Jacques Naude / Independent Newspapers One of the reasons that so many municipalities collapse is that so few of them hire competent professionals as municipal managers (MMs). A MM is the chief executive of a municipality. Unlike the mayor, an MM is not meant to be a politician. The skillset of a good MM is different to that of a good mayor. For local government to work, you need both. Each has to stay in their respective lanes, supporting the other, and not competing for political power. A good mayor, and there are far too few of them, too, will soon realise the impossibility of delivering on your election promises without the help of a good MM. That is what makes Johann Mettler such a rare creature. A giant of a man, he speaks little but works hard. You'll find him at the office at 7:00 AM, and often long after the sun has set. He grew up on the Cape Flats during apartheid, qualified as a lawyer, and took his first job in government when South Africa became a democracy. In 1998, he was part of the team that drafted the White Paper on Local Government. He is probably one of the most experienced local government practitioners still working. What makes him truly exceptional is that he wears no party political colours. In a local government sector dominated by recycled politicians, this also makes him highly vulnerable. All the same, Mettler is usually in high demand to fix broken municipalities. He has worked with DA mayors, but he has also been headhunted by ANC ministers. That's what happened in 2015 when he was appointed to lead the national government intervention in Nelson Mandela Bay. The details of that story are told by Chippy Olver in his book 'How to steal a city'. In Olver's otherwise vexing cast of characters, Mettler is one of the good guys. When the ANC lost control in the Bay in 2016, he was rehired as MM by a DA coalition. At the time, the mayor was Athol Trollip, now ActionSA's parliamentary leader. The irony of this will become obvious later. In 2018, Trollip was toppled as mayor when one of his coalition partners switched sides to the ANC. Even though Mettler had been brought to the Bay under an erstwhile ANC mayor, he soon became an immovable object to the irresistible force represented by the new ANC coalition. The Coalition of Corruption, as the DA branded them, spent a fortune of taxpayers' money to get rid of Mettler. And he spent a great deal of his own money to defend himself. But he did get away with his reputation intact, while one of his former persecutors, Mayor Mongameli Bobani, was later implicated in fraud and corruption (Bobani died of Covid-19 before the matter could proceed). History might be repeating itself in the City of Tshwane, where Mettler now works as MM. He got the Tshwane job in September 2022, a few months after the city emerged from a prolonged period of administration under the Gauteng provincial government. Aside from an unstable coalition and what would turn out to be an adverse audit opinion for the year preceding his appointment, Mettler also inherited an enormous ANC-induced operating deficit. This led to the city falling behind on its payments to Eskom. In my own 18-month stint as mayor, Mettler and I worked hard to turn the city around, a job that I have to stress is not yet done. Similar to Athol Trollip in Nelson Mandela Bay, I was turned out of office as mayor in September last year after my coalition partners decided to join an ANC coalition. The irony was that the coalition partner who rebalanced the forces in the ANC's favour is Trollip's new party, ActionSA. In exchange for getting rid of a DA mayor, an ActionSA councillor now gets to wear the mayoral chain. But there is little doubt where the real power lies. As before, the non-political Mettler is seen by the ANC as a threat to whatever they plan to do in Tshwane. In meetings I had with the ANC in my last weeks as mayor, they had made clear to me that they did not want Mettler as MM. They said that they would prefer a Tshwane local as MM. But what I suspect they want is someone who will withdraw the case against five city officials implicated in awarding an irregular tender to a consortium with links to ANC benefactor Edwin Sodi. That project, the upgrade of Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant, was set back years because Sodi's people did not have the qualifications and experience to finish the job. The business interests of ANC deputy mayor Eugene Bonzo Modise and ANC regional secretary George Matjila can fill an article of their own. Let's just say the ANC would prefer an MM in Tshwane who is less concerned about doing things by the book. And so, Matjila is now on record as suggesting that when Mettler was appointed as MM in September 2022, the right processes weren't followed. This is, as far as the DA is concerned, a legal absurdity. If this is the pretext for moving against Mettler, our lawyers will be on call. In the meantime, what has happened to the likes of Mettler is a major chapter in the story of the decline of South African towns and cities. Let's make sure that this time the good guys win. Cilliers Brink is the DA Tshwane Caucus Leader
The Citizen
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
A ‘mockery' or ‘flimsy attack'? ANC and DA scrap over Tshwane city manager's appointment
The DA has hit back calling it a 'flimsy legal attack'. The appointment of Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler was conducted in a manner that creates a mockery of the prescripts governing the appointment of senior managers, claims the ANC. 'The ANC will request its councillors to ensure that the speaker is requested to convene a special council meeting as soon as possible, in order to allow the council to take a resolution on the validity of the appointment of the city manager,' the party said this week. The party has accused Mettler of lacking experience for the job. It said applicants were required to have 12 years of experience, of which at least five years must be at the senior management level, but Mettler only had 11 years of experience and should have been eliminated at the initial stage of shortlisting. 'His inclusion in the names of the shortlisted candidates is unlawful and irregular. Therefore, the appointment of Mettler as the City Manager is null and void and stands to be set aside in a competent court.' DA consulting lawyers DA Tshwane caucus leader Cilliers Brink said he wrote to Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya to warn her against any move to have Mettler's appointment terminated or to use a baseless legal pretext to pressure him to resign. Brink said the DA, as a party represented in the council, were consulting lawyers in the matter 'Aside from the flimsy legal attack on Mettler's appointment mouthed by the ANC, it is clear that the ANC coalition in Tshwane wants to replace Mettler with one of their own deployed cadres. 'On a number of occasions, Mettler has been attacked by the EFF. Obakeng Ramabodu, the EFF Tshwane leader and the MMC has said in the Tshwane council that the party will get rid of Mettler. He has also accused him, without any evidence, of leaking confidential information,' he said. Brink said the most notable of these attacks happened when it became clear that the city would not drop the case against city officials implicated in an irregular contract award to a consortium led by ANC funder Edwin Sodi. '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.' ALSO READ: Tshwane speaker survives a motion of no confidence Mayor consulting with MEC ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said ActionSA would not allow instability in the city. 'While ActionSA acknowledges the ANC's right to express its opinion, we also affirm that coalitions must make space for differing perspectives, provided this does not undermine stability. 'The multi-party coalition in Tshwane has deliberated on this matter and noted concerns that the panel which interviewed Mettler included additional panellists beyond what is potentially permitted by the relevant regulations,' he said. Beaumont said this procedural irregularity occurred during the term of the DA-led mayoralty. 'We further note the concerns raised by the ANC regarding Mr Mettler's alleged lack of relevant experience and possible non-compliance with the requirements of the Municipal Finance Management Act. 'It is important to emphasise that these matters have not been raised by the MEC and have not yet been fully deliberated upon by the coalition. 'That said, the legal implications of asking the council to reverse an appointment at this stage remain uncertain and would require careful consideration,' he added. Beaumont said the coalition had mandated mayor Moya to engage with MEC Mamabolo on this matter, with the aim of clarifying the issues and identifying a resolution that upholds both the law and the stability of the city's administration. 'Her ongoing engagement with the MEC on senior appointments, as resolved by the political management committee, is both appropriate and constructive. 'We urge all coalition partners to be guided by this resolution and to refrain from unilateral actions that may jeopardise the hard-won progress of this coalition government,' he said. Beaumont said 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. 'This position reflects a core coalition principle that prioritises stability, continuity and performance in the city's senior administration.' NOW READ: Tshwane makes strides in corruption fight as city tackles R13bn irregular expenditure backlog
