Suspended TMPD officer Major Lebogang Phiri responds to allegations that he improperly deployed security firms to critical municipal infrastructure for ad hoc security services.
Image: Oupa Mokoena/Independent Newspapers
Suspended Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officer, Major Lebogang Phiri, has come under fire for allocating an indefinite contract to Gubis 85 Solutions, a security firm, to render ad hoc security services.
This contract could have cost the City of Tshwane at least R17 million every month if it had not been stopped in June 2025.
This emerged during Phiri's testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Thursday when he responded to allegations that he improperly deployed security firms to critical municipal infrastructure for ad hoc security services.
Earlier, Phiri justified his authority to manage and deploy ad hoc security services wherever required, stating that his superior director of Assets, Tshukudu Malatji, delegated this authority to him.
He was questioned about the deployments he made starting January 15, 2025, which involved issuing signed deployment letters that lacked dates prescribing the service duration.
Co-commissioner Advocate Sandile Khumalo SC took issue with the deployment letters, stating that Phiri turned what should have been an ad hoc deployment to cover vandalism in December into a permanent appointment for Gubis 85 Solutions.
"In other words if Rivo Spies had not terminated those in June the city would have been charged R17 million every month until forever," he said.
Khumalo further stated that an ad hoc service by its nature is not permanent.
Phiri concurred with Khumalo's assertion, adding: "My mistake here is that usually when I write I say 'until further notice,' meaning the person who requested and is paying will tell us (for example) that from June 30 I don't need this deployment," he said.
TMPD deputy commissioner for Training and Innovation Rivo Spies recently testified that suspended TMPD deputy chief Umashi Dhlamini expressed concerns that ad hoc security services escalated exponentially in January and February 2025, adding 36 extra sites.
According to Spies, Gubis seemed to be the favourite company, as it was assigned 37 infrastructure sites to guard across the city despite site allocation being based on company origin.
Spies told the commission that he initially instructed Malatji to terminate the ad hoc services immediately, but Malatji did not do so.
In June 2025, Spies wrote to Gubis instructing the company to stop the service effective July 1, citing a lack of approval for the services.
Gubis responded by sending him an approval letter for their deployment to the site signed by Phiri. However, Spies stated that Phiri lacked deployment authority because he is "a junior."
On Thursday, Phiri said: "I think they (Gubis) were strong-arming Rivo Spies to see if my letter can go beyond the cancellation date. If I may say it, in our profession as security practitioners, even if I tell you verbally or with a WhatsApp, you stop and then you dispute by following the correct procedures."
He said Gubis was told to stop and they stopped.
Phiri's testimony is under way.
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za