Madlanga Commission Probes TMPD Tender Irregularities

The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into criminality in South Africa's justice system has turned its focus to alleged tender looting at the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department, where senior officials testified this week about irregularities in security outsourcing contracts worth over R2 billion intended to safeguard metro police properties and personnel.

TMPD Chief Yolanda Faro told the commission on Tuesday that she halted an R800 million tender in March 2025 after discovering unauthorized requests for outsourced security at 22 additional sites, despite no reported break-ins or security threats at city assets. Faro described receiving an internal email highlighting exponential growth in ad hoc deployments, from 37 sites in January 2025 to 43 by February, with attached invoices showing unchecked spending. She immediately instructed Deputy Chief Revo Spies to stop all such deployments, stating, "I'm not going to request additional budget for unauthorised ad hoc sites; this behaviour must stop." Faro identified Inspector Lebohang Phiri as a central figure in the irregular approvals, noting he lacked authority to issue deployment letters. Phiri has received a notice of intent...