Pretoria - Former Nelson Mandela Bay city manager, Johann Mettler, was on Monday appointed as the new city manager of Tshwane Municipality.
Mettler’s appointment comes a month after he was recommended for the position during a virtual meeting which turned into chaos after opposition parties complained that the online platform did not afford them a chance to participate in the voting process.
On Monday, Tshwane Mayor Randall Williams said Mettler was the best candidate for the position from the 137 people who had applied.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Williams disputed claims that Mettler was appointed due to his connections to the DA in Nelson Mandela Bay.
“If you look back at Nelson Mandela Bay, it was actually not the DA that appointed him, the DA found him there as the city manager. We appointed him because of his qualifications and extensive experience.”
Williams added that Mettler came with a wealth of experience that is also recognised by the National Treasury as they use his expertise to fix municipalities that are in financial constraints.
“The City of Tshwane is experiencing financial challenges. We also have service delivery issues and we believe that with his experience, we can turn the city around financially,” he said.
Mettler is an attorney by profession and a seasoned administrator with more than 20 years experience in local government.
Williams said the metro was facing many challenges and required an experienced administrator who would hit the ground running.
The city had been without a full-time city manager for almost three years and Williams said Metter’s appointment would “restore administrative stability and good governance to take the City forward”.
City of Tshwane multiparty coalition govt is currently hosting a media briefing to officially welcome newly appointed City Manager Johann Mettler. We will also give an update on the functioning of Tshwane’s coalition government. #TshwaneCoalition pic.twitter.com/1uPr2Ct5xE
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