PRETORIA, Monday 31 August 2026 — Johann Mettler has been cleared of all 21 allegations investigated against him after an independent forensic probe found insufficient grounds to institute disciplinary proceedings against the City of Tshwane’s top administrator.
The outcome is a significant development in a months-long dispute over Mettler’s position that has involved the Tshwane council, the EFF, ActionSA, the DA and the courts.
Councillors considered the final independent investigation report at a council meeting last week.
The investigation was conducted in terms of disciplinary regulations for senior municipal managers after allegations of misconduct, corruption and governance failures were raised against Mettler.
Eyewitness News reported that Mettler was cleared of all 21 charges investigated.
Among the allegations were claims concerning his handling of the troubled Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade.
The Economic Freedom Fighters had accused Mettler of shielding officials implicated in the project and failing to pursue recovery of money already paid under the failed upgrade contract.
A forensic investigation by Motsoeneng Bill Attorneys found that the allegations against Mettler could not be substantiated.
Investigators nevertheless identified weaknesses in some municipal administrative processes and governance systems, according to Pretoria Rekord.
Those findings did not provide sufficient grounds for disciplinary proceedings against Mettler.
Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya said allegations against senior municipal managers had to be subjected to proper scrutiny and that the investigation had given the council an independent basis for its decision.
She said the administration would now focus on stability and improving service delivery with Mettler and the city’s senior management team.
The finding follows a separate legal setback for the council over Mettler’s suspension.
Mettler was suspended after a contentious council meeting on 9 July.
Thirteen votes cast against his suspension were subsequently excluded by Speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana, changing the result from 95-92 against suspension to 92-82 in favour.
The DA and trade union Solidarity challenged the decision.
On 31 July, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria granted interim relief allowing Mettler to return to work while the legality of the council resolution is reviewed.
The court found on a prima facie basis that Ndzwanana did not have the authority to exclude councillors’ votes after they had been cast.
The political dispute continued on Monday.
The Democratic Alliance said a motion of no confidence it had submitted against Ndzwanana was prevented from proceeding in council on the basis that issues surrounding the disputed July vote remained before the courts.
The DA disputes that reasoning and has accused the Speaker of improperly altering the outcome of the July vote. Those are the party’s allegations.
The latest forensic finding changes the substance of the dispute surrounding Mettler.
When councillors considered action against him earlier this year, the allegations had yet to undergo the independent investigation contemplated by municipal disciplinary regulations.
The investigation has now concluded without recommending disciplinary proceedings.
ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the outcome supported his party’s position that the allegations should first have been subjected to an independent investigation before conclusions were reached.
The case has particular political significance because Tshwane is expected to be one of the most closely contested metropolitan municipalities in the 4 November local government elections.
Moya’s ActionSA governs the capital through a coalition arrangement involving the ANC and EFF, among others, after the DA-led coalition headed by former mayor Cilliers Brink lost control of the city in 2024.
Brink is now the DA’s mayoral candidate for November’s election.
The handling of Mettler has consequently become part of the competing parties’ arguments over administrative independence, municipal governance and the stability of Tshwane’s coalition government.
The dispute also intersects with the politically sensitive Rooiwal project.
The wastewater treatment plant has faced years of infrastructure and procurement problems.
In 2023, a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal killed 23 people amid longstanding concerns about water quality in northern Tshwane, although authorities did not conclusively establish the precise source of the outbreak.
The failed earlier Rooiwal upgrade involved a R295 million tender, while allegations against Mettler included claims that he failed to recover almost R150 million already paid to the contractor. The independent investigation did not substantiate the allegations against him.
The finding does not resolve every legal and political dispute arising from Mettler’s suspension.
The High Court proceedings concerning the legality of the July council resolutions remain relevant, while opposition parties have separately challenged Ndzwanana’s handling of the vote.
But the central disciplinary question has changed substantially: the independent investigation commissioned to determine whether there was a basis to proceed against the city manager has found none.
With just over two months remaining before Tshwane residents elect a new council, attention is therefore likely to shift from whether Mettler faces disciplinary proceedings to the political and legal consequences of the attempt to suspend him.
