R17 Million A Month? Inside The Tshwane Security Contract Controversy

What was meant to be a temporary fix to protect critical infrastructure in Tshwane has turned into a cautionary tale about oversight, authority, and the cost of blurred lines in municipal decision-making.

At the heart of it is a security arrangement that, if left unchecked, could have drained up to R17 million every month from the city’s coffers.

How A Temporary Plan Became A Costly Risk

Testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has placed suspended Tshwane Metro Police Department officer Major Lebogang Phiri under scrutiny. The issue centres on the deployment of private security company Gubis 85 Solutions to guard key municipal sites.

Phiri admitted that what started as an ad hoc response to vandalism concerns in late 2024 evolved into something far more permanent than intended. Deployment letters issued from mid-January 2025 did not include clear timeframes, often using vague wording like “until further notice.”

That wording, while common in operational environments, proved costly in this case. Without a defined end date, what should have been a short-term intervention risked becoming an open-ended financial commitment.

Questions Over Authority And Oversight

Phiri told the commission that his authority to deploy security services came from his superior, director of assets Tshukudu Malatji. However, this claim has been challenged.

Deputy commissioner for Training and Innovation Rivo Spies testified that Phiri did not have the authority to make such decisions independently, describing him as too junior for that level of responsibility.

This disconnect points to a deeper issue within municipal structures. In many South African metros, overlapping mandates and unclear lines of authority often create gaps that can be exploited or misinterpreted.

The Turning Point In June 2025

The situation only came to a halt months later. By June 2025, concerns had escalated internally, with reports that ad hoc security deployments had ballooned rapidly, adding dozens of sites in just weeks.

Gubis 85 Solutions had reportedly been assigned 37 infrastructure sites, raising eyebrows about how contracts were being distributed.

Spies eventually stepped in and ordered the termination of the services, citing a lack of proper approval. The instruction was formalised with a directive for the company to stop operations from July 1.

Interestingly, Gubis attempted to justify its continued presence by producing a signed approval letter from Phiri. But this was ultimately rejected, reinforcing the view that the deployment lacked proper authorisation.

A System Under Pressure

Phiri acknowledged his role in the situation, conceding that the use of “until further notice” in official documentation contributed to the problem. He maintained that, in practice, such deployments are meant to end when the requesting department no longer needs them.

Still, the incident highlights how easily informal practices can spiral into major financial risks when not backed by strict controls.

The Bigger Picture For Tshwane

This case lands at a time when municipalities across South Africa are under increasing pressure to justify spending and tighten procurement processes. With infrastructure vandalism on the rise, cities often rely on private security as a stopgap measure.

But as this situation shows, without clear contracts, oversight, and accountability, those stopgaps can quickly turn into financial sinkholes.

The Madlanga Commission continues to unpack the details, but one thing is already clear. In a city battling service delivery challenges, every rand counts. And when millions are potentially on the line each month, even small administrative decisions can carry enormous consequences.

{Source:IOL}

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