Pretoria High Court reinstates Tshwane City Manager Johan Mettler

Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler has been reinstated. Picture: Gallo Images/Rapport/Elizabeth Sejake The Pretoria High Court has overturned the Tshwane Council’s bid to sideline City Manager Johan Mettler, ordering his immediate reinstatement. Judgement in the urgent matter challenging the suspension of Mettler was handed down on Friday, 31 July 2026.

Mettler was suspended after a closed vote during the council meeting on Thursday, 9 July 2026. The DA and trade union Solidarity approached the Pretoria High Court on an urgent basis last week to overturn resolutions adopted during the council sitting. The court suspended the vote and resolution, interdicting the Speaker and the Tshwane Council from implementing the decision.

In the ruling, Judge AJ Pillay determined that voting is a “cornerstone” of a municipal council and that “to limit a councillor’s eligibility to vote ought to be reserved for strictly circumscribed circumstances”. The court also found that the requirements for urgent interim relief were fully met. Pillay rejected the Speaker’s argument that the applicant had an alternative internal remedy under the council’s By-Laws, stating that “what the Speaker did cannot be classified as a ruling” and therefore “there is no alternative remedy to address the Applicant’s plight for redress”.

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DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink welcomed the judgment, saying it vindicated Mettler and exposed the council’s flawed process. “The court has made it clear that the suspension was baseless and that Mr Mettler is entitled to resume his duties,” Brink said. ActionSA also welcomed the Pretoria High Court’s ruling interdicting the suspension of Mettler, stressing that the judgment relates to the Speaker’s ruling and not the Executive Mayor.

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