‘We Might Have Jeopardised the R2.9bn Tender’: TMPD Official’s Admission at Madlanga Commission

The removal of bids from the City of Tshwane’s offices to another location may have compromised the integrity of the process for the controversial R2.9 billion security tender.

This was revealed during the testimony of Tshukudu Malatji , the suspended director for Asset Protection Services at the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Thursday.

The Tender

The tender in question, known as TMPD 02-2016/2017 , has two components:

• Monthly payments for watchman services covering 22 security companies

• Ad hoc services assigned as needed to various municipal departments

The Bid Removal

Malatji was questioned about the removal of bid documents from the city’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) premises to the Tshwane Leadership Academy.

He said the removal was necessitated by security issues observed by the Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC):

• Movement of SCM officials in and out of storage was not controlled

• Cameras in the building were not working

• SCM officials had unlimited access to the storage facility

“The removal of the bids did not have any negative impact on the work of the BEC,” Malatji said.

The Authority Question

Evidence leader Advocate Mpilo Sikhakhane asked Malatji whether the BEC chairperson had the authority to move the bids.

Malatji replied that he was not sure.

Sikhakhane then asked: “If the BEC had no authority to move bids to another location, as the report suggests… do you accept the following possibilities: that the integrity of the bids could have been compromised?”

“I accept,” Malatji said.

Missing Documents

It emerged that there were complaints about missing documents in some of the bids, to which Malatji said he wasn’t aware.

He stated that bids are normally received sealed by SCM officials, then unsealed to compile a bid register before being handed to the BEC.

“As a result, the bids handed to the BEC were not sealed ,” Malatji said.

Failure to Follow Instructions

Malatji also faced scrutiny on his failure to cancel the irregular deployment of ad hoc security services, as instructed by the city’s Chief of Police, Yolande Faro.

Co-commissioner Advocate Sandile Khumalo asked: “When you were suspended four months later, you had not complied with your superior’s instructions to stop deployment of all ad hoc security services, why?”

Malatji could not give a clear response.

The Bottom Line

The bids were moved without proper authority. The integrity may have been compromised. Some documents went missing. Instructions were ignored.

Malatji admitted: “I accept.”

The Madlanga Commission is exposing the rot. And the R2.9 billion tender is at the centre of it all.