TMPD deputy commissioner, Sean Bolhuis, told the Madlanga Commission how officers were doing as they pleased.
Image: Kamogelo Moichela / IOL News
Madlanga Commission has heard testimony detailing how a junior officer in the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) allegedly steered millions in municipal contracts, while senior officials refused basic vetting.
This was revealed by the TMPD deputy commissioner, Sean Bolhuis, during his testimony at the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday.
Inspector Lebogang Phiri, who is currently suspended, is accused of assigning contract work to private companies independently, bypassing internal controls and procurement procedures.
Bolhuis painted a picture of internal failures, distancing himself from a series of controversial decisions made while he served as caretaker head of the Asset Protection, Security and Services Unit between July 2024 and February 2025.
That unit is responsible for safeguarding critical municipal infrastructure, often relying on private firms.
But according to Bolhuis, due process was ignored.
“As the caretaker, I never allocated these sites to Gubis 85 Solutions, nor did I instruct Inspector Phiri to do so, nor did I give him permission or the delegated authority,” Bolhuis told the commission.
He stated that Phiri did not have the power to authorise anything.
Despite this, evidence shows that 40 sites were allocated to Gubis 85 Solutions, one of three companies now under investigation for alleged irregular procurement.
The company is said to have received the bulk of the work under scrutiny. The financial trail is equally troubling.
Bolhuis revealed that purchase orders linked to the contracts were processed through official systems, including a batch totalling more than R13.6 million for so-called “ad hoc services.”
“The purchase orders created out of this process were registered on the TMPD system on March 6, 2025,” he said, underscoring how deeply the irregularities penetrated formal channels.
The scandal widens further. Bolhuis testified that senior officials, including suspended CFO Gareth Mnisi and suspended deputy police chief Umashi Dlamini, were linked to communications around the purchase orders, allegedly relayed through Sergeant Fannie Nkosi.
Yet even as the investigation unfolds, a striking contradiction has emerged: some of the department’s most senior figures have reportedly refused to undergo vetting.
“It is cumbersome for me to think… that certain senior officials refuse to get themselves vetted…
“I immediately availed myself because it is required when dealing with sensitive information,” he said.
The refusal raised fresh concerns about accountability at the highest levels of the metro police, particularly as critical documents and procurement processes remain under scrutiny.
For now, Phiri faces disciplinary proceedings, but the commission’s hearings suggest the issue runs far deeper than one officer.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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