Suspended Tshwane Metro Police Department Director Tshukudu Malatji defends himself against allegations that he was responsible for ad hoc security contracts irregularly awarded in 2024 and 2025.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
Suspended Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) Director for Asset Protection Services Tshukudu Malatji told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Thursday that his superiors are only passing the buck on him for a multimillion-rand ad hoc security service contracts irregularly awarded in 2024 and 2025.
He testified that he was not part of the city’s executives who met to discuss securing R91 million to pay outstanding invoices to service providers, including for ad hoc security services.
He pointed out that Chief of Police Yolande Faro, Chief Financial Officer Gareth Mnisi and representatives from the city's Department of Water and Sanitation attended the executive meetings in question. The department requested the ad hoc security services.
Malatji was taken through an email trail starting with one from TMPD Deputy Commissioner for Training and Innovation Rivo Spies to him and his personal assistant regarding the budget for watchman services and a R21 million fund transfer.
Spies previously testified that he instructed Malatji to stop the ad hoc security service contracts, but Malatji refused to carry out that instruction.
Malatji told the commission he did not participate in the meetings that discussed the budget and funds to pay the city's outstanding invoices totaling R91 million.
He believed the executive discussions included outstanding payments for ad hoc services, especially payment to Gubis 85 Solutions, one of the security companies the city owed money to.
The commission previously heard that Gubis was allegedly favoured over 21 other service providers in the TMPD’s multimillion-rand tender.
The company was allegedly paid R59-million and allocated 37 infrastructure sites — more than any other service provider in both payments and site allocations.
Malatji singled out Faro, Spies and TMPD Deputy Commissioner for Training and Innovation Sean Bolhuis as those wanting to "pass the buck" to him, adding that this worried him.
He told the commission that in their testimonies, his superiors created a narrative holding him responsible for the amount of money paid to these ad hoc service providers.
Malatji said his seniors knew, even before they came before the commission, that Malatji was not responsible for allocating the sites and deploying service providers.
He questioned why the executive members would go to the extent of seeking funds to pay for irregularly awarded contracts, knowing those contracts were irregular.
"If indeed the ad hoc services were irregular, why would they go as far as requesting money to pay for something that they know upfront that this is irregular?" Malatji asked.
TMPD officer for road policing Major Lebogang Phiri recently testified that Malatji told him in writing to "run with the process," which Phiri interpreted as proceeding with the deployment of ad hoc services.
Malatji explained that since January 23, 2023, ad hoc services in the City of Tshwane have been managed subject to correspondence, which required a user department to request ad hoc services and indicate the duration for rendering them.
Regarding the instruction given to him by Spies to terminate all ad hoc services he said: "Since this directive does not delegate me the powers, duties and responsibilities to intervene and address the issue of non-compliance by the department there is no way I would have canceled something that was not ordered or instructed by me."
He said following Spies's instruction was intended to throw him under the bus.
Malatji's testimony is still under way.
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za