The DA has called on City of Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya to withdraw opposition to its court case involving the city's CFO Gareth Mnisi.

The demand follows a South African Revenue Service (SARS) operation on Thursday, where officials executed search warrants at Mnisi’s office and residence.

The developments have triggered a fierce multi-party blame game ahead of local government elections, with both the DA and ActionSA attempting to distance themselves from Mnisi's controversial return to office.

DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink described the SARS raid as a major embarrassment for Moya’s ActionSA-ANC coalition government.

He argued that the raid exposed the city’s own handling of the CFO as a "farce" and questioned why public funds are being used to fight accountability in court.

The DA had approached the courts to overturn a controversial Council decision to downgraded misconduct allegations against Mnisi to "less serious".

The party instead wants an independent disciplinary enquiry where dismissal remains a possible outcome.

Brink accused Moya's administration of rushing through an informal process that resulted in a mere final written warning, allowing Mnisi to return to work despite damning forensic evidence and findings at the Madlanga Commission.

Further, Brink alleged systemic protection of misconduct within the city's financial leadership, pointing out that Finance MMC Eugene Modise remains in office despite being found guilty of failing to disclose business interests with the city.

Meanwhile, despite ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont welcoming the SARS investigation, he hit back at the DA, placing the blame for Mnisi's original reinstatement squarely on a combination of ANC/EFF interference and DA negligence.

According to Beaumont, the ANC and EFF had pushed to classify Mnisi's charges as minor, while ActionSA said it voted to treat the charges as serious.

Beaumont alleged that the DA failed to field 19 of its councillors on the day of the crucial vote, citing party responsibilities.

Beaumont said because Council failed to initiate proper serious disciplinary proceedings within the legally mandated three-month window, Mnisi’s precautionary suspension automatically lapsed, allowing his return to work.

With the SARS investigation now underway, ActionSA noted that any fresh evidence or charges could provide the City of Tshwane with legal grounds to initiate entirely new disciplinary proceedings.

However, both parties acknowledged that the ultimate political handling of the matter will depend heavily on the shifting balances of power after next week's municipal elections.