It could take up to seven years for Tshwane to end outsourcing security for municipal infrastructure, the metro’s chief of police, Yolande Faro, told the Madlanga commission of inquiry on Tuesday.
Security tenders have been a key issue before the commission as it probes alleged criminal infiltration in law enforcement.
“It will take about six to seven years to insource. It can be quicker, but it will depend on the budget permitted. I would prefer to have in-house capacity than to sit with the issues we are sitting with at the moment and stay away from tenders,” Faro said.
She said the difficulty with insourcing is getting thousands of security officials on a pension fund and medical aid and ensuring they have uniforms.
Insourcing security officials has been haunting the metro for years.
The municipality has more than 1,200 insourced security officials.
Correspondingly, the metro’s budget for security tenders has also increased. In 2015/16 its budget was R237m; the next financial year it was R245m, and in 2017/18 it was R254m.
Similar issues were raised before the commission — chaired by retired Constitutional Court judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, sitting with advocates Sesi Baloyi and Sandile Khumalo — on the Ekurhuleni metro.
Testimonies before the commission detailed how police officer Sgt Fannie Nkosi, linked to individuals allegedly part of a cartel, communicated with the Tshwane metro police deputy chief Umashi Dlamini and the metro’s CFO Gareth Mnisi about a multimillion-rand security tender.
Nkosi had access to documents of security companies rendering services to the metro and spoke to Mnisi about payments of invoices. Nkosi’s brother was also bidding for a Tshwane security tender and sought assistance from Dlamini.
The two officials face disciplinary processes and probes by the municipality after their chats with Nkosi were exposed at the commission.
Tshwane metro also removed the mayoral committee member of corporate and shared services, Kholofelo Morodi, after it emerged from the commission that she gave Nkosi tender-related documents.
Faro testified that Dlamini, in January 2025, filed a request for additional funding that was not budgeted for security companies guarding metro infrastructure.
The additional funding amounted to millions, Faro said, who testified that when she stopped the processing of additional funds, she faced a tough backlash and smear campaign.
Faro was accused of receiving a R450,000 cash voucher but denied she received it.
She told the commission of the allegations that rocked the city council, prompting an investigation. She told the commission she now understands some people were unhappy with her halting the security companies from making money from the metro.
She said she had no idea about Dlamini’s and Mnisi’s link to Nkosi regarding the security tenders.
“I was not particularly aware of the role of deputy commissioner Dhlamini and CFO Gareth Mnisi in all of this. I took and trusted them as dedicated officials,” she said.
“I placed reliance on their advice, and they had never given me any reason to doubt or suspect them.… I was taken aback by what came out of this commission.”
She described Nkosi’s communication with the officials as irregular.
“He [Nkosi] had no authority. He is not employed by the metro.”
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