Pretoria – The City of Tshwane has resolved to take disciplinary action against suspended group chief financial officer Gareth Mnisi, months after he appeared before the Madranga Commission.
Mr Mnisi appeared before a judicial inquiry into corruption, political interference and criminal activity in the criminal justice system in April and was questioned about his role in issuing dodgy security tenders.
On Thursday, July 9, 2026, Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasifi Moya announced that the allegations against the suspended Chief Financial Officer are so serious that he must face disciplinary action.
“After reviewing the final forensic investigation report regarding the allegations of misconduct against the Chief Financial Officer, the City Council has resolved to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the Chief Financial Officer,” Mayor Moya said.
“Having considered the nature of the allegations and the applicable legal framework, the Board has further determined that the allegations constitute misconduct that is not as serious as contemplated in Part I of Annex A to the Regulations.
“Disciplinary proceedings will now proceed in accordance with prescribed statutory procedures.”
The Coalition Council also considered a written representation submitted by City Manager Johann Mettler, a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA), in response to the proposed precautionary suspension process initiated under Article 6 of the Ordinance.
Mayor Moya, an ActionSA member, said: “After considering the representations in conjunction with the applicable legal framework and matters previously submitted to the City Council, the City Council has resolved to place the city manager on a preventive suspension with full pay pending the outcome of an independent investigation.”
“We appreciate the public interest and speculation about the potential impact of these decisions on the functioning of the City.
“I would like to assure residents that the administration remains stable and fully focused on providing reliable services, maintaining the city’s financial stability, accelerating infrastructure investment, and improving the quality of life for everyone living in our capital.”
But the DA's office called the city supervisor's suspension “a disgrace won through voter fraud.”
DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink said the party condemned Mr Mettler's “unlawful suspension”.
“Mr. Mettler was suspended by the Corruption Coalition after illegally passing a baseless report submitted by ActionSA Executive Mayor Nasifi Moya,” Brink claimed.
He said the DA is consulting with its legal team about what happened at the council meeting and will set out its future direction today, Friday 10 July 2026.
Mr Brink, himself a former mayor of Tshwane, said: “The EFF's proposal to suspend Mr Mettler was defeated by a vote cast.''
“However, after the votes were cast and counted, the Speaker arbitrarily subtracted 13 votes from various political parties, including the DA, overturning the results and paving the way for Mr. Mettler’s suspension.
“By hook or by crook, by any sham process, the ANC-led corruption coalition is determined to suspend Mr Mettler even if the vote is against him.”
Mr Brink said it was outrageous that democratically elected public representatives elected by Tshwane residents to represent them on council were denied their constitutional right to be counted as one of the most important votes on council.
“By removing these members, the Speaker has effectively disenfranchised the thousands of residents they represent,” Brink said.
“The Speaker was unable to provide any legal basis or settlement for the deduction of these votes.”
Commenting on this issue, ActionSA National Chairman Michael Beaumont said:
“In particular, the DA was short 15 members on the city council, and as a result, it did not have enough members to prevent Mr. Mnisi from returning to the city's finances or suspend the city manager,” Beaumont said.
Although ActionSA said it did not vote to suspend the city manager, Beaumont said the party supports Mayor Moya.
“As it relates to considerations relating to the CFO, ActionSA classified this allegation as serious and voted for the CFO to remain suspended pending formal disciplinary proceedings,” Beaumont revealed.
Regarding city management, the City Council considered suspending Mr. Mettler based on representations requested since the last meeting.
ActionSA said it had considered these representations in response to the allegations and councilors resolved to vote against the suspension.
“This decision is based on the grounds that a suspension is not justified in relation to allegations that are dated and have already been investigated by agencies such as the Auditor General, the Public Protector or the courts, and that there is no reasonable risk that ongoing investigations or witnesses will be interfered with,” Beaumont explained.
“It is worth noting that, based on a previous City Council decision, an independent investigation into the allegations against city officials continues to be conducted.”
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which initiated the proceedings against Mettler by filing a detailed 45-page complaint, said it strongly supported his suspension.
The African National Congress said it was aligned with the EFF on this issue.
