DA’s court bid has no legal basis, says Tshwane CFO Gareth Mnisi
The City of Tshwane's CFO, Gareth Mnisi, has dismissed the Democratic Alliance's (DA) court challenge regarding his disciplinary process as legally baseless. The DA is attempting to overturn council decisions related to the suspension of the city manager and the handling of allegations against Mnisi.
Why it matters
This case highlights ongoing political instability and governance disputes within South African municipal councils.
The Pretoria high court is due to hear the DA’s challenge this week of the City of Tshwane council’s decision to place city manager Johann Mettler on precautionary suspension and reinstate chief financial officer Gareth Mnisi, on an urgent basis.
The party wants to overturn the council’s decision to treat the allegations against Mnisi as “ less serious ”.
The party argues that the council speaker had no legal basis to treat 13 DA and FF Plus councillors as absent after they attended and participated in the council meeting, despite having initially been granted leave of absence. Their votes were subsequently discounted as the speaker ruled that their votes could not be counted.
The speaker’s decision ultimately changed the outcome of two key agenda items, including an EFF amendment seeking Mettler’s suspension.
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