The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday welcomed the ruling by the North Gauteng High Court setting aside the provincial government's decision in March to place the Tshwane metro under administration.
The court ordered all council members from the ANC and Economic Freedom Fighters to attend council meetings.
Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo, who was scathing of the decision by the provincial government, ruled that the order to council members was suspended pending the lifting of Level 5 Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said the ruling was a "victory for democracy".
The party has held that the ANC leadership of Gauteng effectively executed a coup in Tshwane when MEC for Local Government Lebogang Maile placed the metro under administration.
He did so after many attempts to hold council meetings, among others, to bring a vote of no confidence against then DA mayor Steven Mokgapala, collapsed for lack of a quorum.
Mlambo held that decision, taken on March 4, was invalid and set aside.
The DA has insisted that the ANC and EFF deliberately denied council a quorum to force the metro into administration.
Steenhuisen said: "This is an important victory not only for the residents of Tshwane, but for each and every citizen residing in towns and cities across South Africa as this judgment will protect them too from the undemocratic interference of ANC-led provincial governments."
He said Mlambo had rightly concluded that ANC and EFF councillors in Tshwane were putting their own party agendas ahead of their service to the public.
Steenhuisen said given the judgment, the DA was now calling for Maile's suspension from his post.