Brutal political battle in South Africa’s capital

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have brought a disciplinary report against the Tshwane municipal manager, sparking outrage from opposition parties.

The disciplinary report has been brought forward by the EFF’s Obakeng Ramabodu, with support from Tshwane deputy mayor Eugene Modise and ActionSA.

Tshwane’s municipal manager, Johann Mettler, has held the position since 2022, and the current disciplinary report concerns his dismissal of government employees in 2023.

These dismissals involved 43 employees, who were fired for participating in a months-long illegal strike.

ActionSA’s national chairperson, Michael Beaumont, said the disciplinary report against Mettler is a normal government procedure.

Beaumont said it is required whenever allegations are brought against a municipal official, and the current actions follow good governance.

“The tabling of these allegations and the initiation of an investigation into the matter is not only prescribed in law, but is basic good governance,” he said.

Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) member of parliament in Tshwane, Grandi Theunissen, rejected this idea, calling the disciplinary report “a political hijacking”.

He said the report against Mettler is an attempt by the municipality’s majority coalition to remove the municipal manager and replace him with a person from their own coalition.

The majority coalition in Tshwane includes the African National Congress (ANC), the EFF, ActionSA, and other smaller parties.

Theunissen also supported Mettler’s dismissal of municipal employees, saying their removal was necessary for the area’s success.

“These dismissals were crucial to restoring law and order after months of crippled service delivery,” he said.

He said the current proceedings are intended to replace Mettler with a person who can be “controlled by the coalition.”

Beaumont dismissed these allegations, saying that ActionSA and the coalition were acting in accordance with the law.

He said ActionSA would not give in to pressure from opposition parties, and that the disciplinary report would be conducted in good faith.

Mettler under fire again

This is not the first time Mettler’s position as municipal manager has been threatened, with calls for his removal starting in 2025.

At the time, a Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson said the ANC was pressuring Mettler to resign, with help from other groups.

This included the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU), which was circulating an infographic among its members calling for the removal of the municipal manager.

The DA spokesperson noted that SAMWU is an affiliate of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), which is itself an ANC alliance partner.

The spokesperson said the ANC were attempting to replace Mettler with someone sympathetic to the party, a claim similar to that made by the VF Plus.

The spokesperson also alleged that the ANC was responding to Mettler’s legal proceedings against ANC officials over the award of an irregular tender.

If the majority coalition in Tshwane were to remove Mettler as municipal manager, it would not be the first time they succeeded in ousting a major figure in the area.

In 2024, the coalition tabled a motion of no confidence against the then Tshwane mayor, Cilliers Brink.

This motion led to Brink’s removal, and ActionSA member Nasiphi Moya was sworn in as the new Tshwane mayor.

In its motion, the coalition alleged that Brink and the DA had failed to provide adequate service delivery to townships and rural areas in the municipality.

The motion of no confidence was made possible through support from ActionSA, which did not initially support Brink’s removal.

ActionSA then joined the majority coalition, which was named the Local Government of Unity (LGU), creating enough votes for the motion of no confidence to succeed.

After his removal, Brink spoke to ENCA about the motion of no confidence, saying, “It’s baffling what the ANC has done here.”