Vote-rigging allegations in South Africa’s capital

Pretoria has voted to suspend its municipal manager, Johann Mettler, sparking outrage from parties who say the proceedings were unlawful.

Mettler’s removal follows the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) tabling a disciplinary report against him. 

This report was called for after his dismissal of 43 municipal employees involved in a months-long illegal strike.

The investigation into Mettler was supported by ActionSA, which said it was a normal procedure necessary to ensure good governance.

Calls for the report caused a backlash from opposition parties, including the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus), which labelled it a “political hijacking.”

VF Plus councillor in Tshwane, Grandi Theunissen, was vehemently opposed to the move from the EFF and ActionSA at the time.

He defended Mettler’s decision to dismiss the municipal workers involved in the strike, believing it was necessary.

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

Mettler has had his job threatened several times since he started as Tshwane’s municipal manager in 2022.

This includes 2025, when it was alleged that the African National Congress (ANC) were pressuring him to resign from his post.

The allegations came from the Democratic Alliance (DA), which believed that the ANC were being helped by trade unions to put pressure on Mettler.

Opposition parties objected to this pressure, which was seemingly also due to the dismissal of municipal workers.

They claimed that calls for Mettler’s resignation stemmed from anger due to his bringing legal proceedings against ANC members over irregular tenders.

At the time, the DA accused the ANC of attempting to oust Mettler to replace him with somebody sympathetic to the party.

Mettler’s suspension

Based on the EFF’s disciplinary report, Mettler was suspended as municipal manager on 9 July 2026.

DA member and former Tshwane mayor, Cilliers Brink, condemned the decision as unlawful.

The vote to suspend the municipal manager was supported by the municipality’s majority coalition, comprised of the EFF, ANC, and ActionSA.

Despite this support, the suspension vote did not initially pass, but the municipality’s Speaker, Mncedi Ndzwanana, overturned the results.

After votes had been cast, Ndzwanana deducted 13 votes against the motion from several parties, including the DA.

During local government procedures, the Speaker does not have the power to deduct or remove any votes cast.

Once a vote is cast, it must be recorded in the minutes of the council meeting, with councillors responsible for ensuring their votes are correctly recorded.

Brink said the Speaker’s decision was an illegal obstruction of the voting process, and called it a “sham process.”

“It is outrageous that democratically elected public representatives were denied their constitutional right for their votes to count,” he said.

“By excluding these councillors, the Speaker effectively disenfranchised the thousands of residents they represent.”

The DA’s objections to the vote were recorded, and the party has said it is discussing potential recourse with its legal team.

Councillors can dispute a vote if they suspect misconduct or irregularities, but they must do so before the final result is announced.

After the result is declared, a formal review can be triggered if there is suspicion that the Speaker acted improperly or altered the outcome of the vote.

Brink alleged that the Speaker and the municipality’s majority coalition had acted improperly to ensure that Mettler was suspended.

“Through whatever sham process, the ANC-led coalition of corruption was determined to get Mettler suspended,” he said.

ActionSA national chairperson, Michael Beaumont, said his party did not vote in line with Tshwane’s majority coalition, despite supporting the original disciplinary report.

He also alleged that 15 DA councillors were absent from the council meeting where Mettler’s suspension was voted on.

If a councillor is absent from a meeting, they are not permitted to vote on any matters that are brought forward.

Currently, the decision to suspend Mettler has been upheld, despite the DA’s objections to the proceedings.