New Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani is preparing to sack his nemesis‚ city manager Johann Mettler.

Bobani has been relentlessly gunning for Mettler to be axed for more than a year – back to when he was still the deputy mayor early in 2017.

In a bombshell admission on Tuesday evening‚ Bobani revealed that he had in his hands a letter for Mettler’s suspension‚ saying there was an “irretrievable breakdown” in the relationship with the city boss.

The shock move follows a report in The Herald earlier in the day that Mettler had blocked attempts by Bobani and his mayoral committee on Monday to interfere in the administration.

“I have got the letter of suspension with me‚” Bobani said‚ after barely eight days in the job. “I’m waiting for him to knock on the municipality’s doors and I’m going to give him the letter.”

He said the city boss – who was attending a government event in the Western Cape – had not told him he would be out of town on Monday and Tuesday.

“He left the city without informing me about where he is going‚” Bobani said.

While the laws that govern municipalities stipulate that it is only the council that can decide on disciplinary action to be taken against the municipal manager‚ Bobani is adamant that he is well within his rights to do so.