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Tshwane CFO suspended following Madlanga Commission inquiry
via The Citizen2 min read
City of Tshwane Chief Financial Officer Gareth Mnisi has been placed on precautionary suspension by Mayor Nasiphi Moya, following a council meeting. This decision comes after a council resolution on March 26 to consider Mnisi's suspension, in line with Regulation 6 of the Local Government Disciplinary Regulations for Senior Managers, 2010. The suspension is pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations arising from testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. Mayor Moya stated that the decision aims to safeguard the integrity of the investigation and protect municipal interests, emphasizing it does not constitute a finding of misconduct. Mnisi is expected to appear before the commission on Friday. ActionSA Tshwane caucus spokesperson Henriette Frohlich welcomed the unanimous decision, noting Mnisi was among six Section 56 managers appointed in November 2023 under former DA mayor Cilliers Brink. Nthabiseng Mokete, divisional head of the budget office, has been appointed to act as CFO from April 15 to July 14.
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The Democratic Alliance DA has filed an urgent application in the High Court in Pretoria to set aside the Tshwane special council meeting that resulted in the suspension of city manager Johann Mettler. The DA alleges that votes were manipulated during the meeting. DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink stated that 95 councillors voted against the suspension and 92 voted in favor, but council speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana deducted 13 votes. Brink claimed the meeting was called at short notice, lacked an agenda, and the speaker did not conduct a roll call before deducting votes. He further alleged that the speaker deducted 13 votes instead of nine, calling the meeting mismanaged and the votes tampered with. The DA is seeking either to set aside the meeting or to order a new one, instructing the speaker not to "rig the votes." Brink suggested Mettler is being targeted for opposing irregular expenditure and rigged tenders, citing a 50-year lease on the Tshwane showgrounds that Mettler referred back to committee. ActionSA national chair Michael Beaumont, however, countered Brink's claims, stating that the DA was 20 votes short of its full complement of councillors and had submitted 13 leaves of absence, making councillors unavailable. Beaumont argued that if DA councillors had not taken leave, Mettler would still be city manager. Republican Conference of Tshwane councillor Lex Middelberg noted that serious allegations he submitted against Gareth Mnisi were dismissed, while Mettler
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