Tshwane metro police chief faces smear campaign amid R2bn security contract scandal

A consistent and deeply concerning pattern that has emerged throughout the Madlanga Commission is the allegation that witnesses have been subjected to intimidation, and in at least one instance, have been killed.

This trend underscores the high-stakes nature of the inquiry and the broader climate of fear in which it operates — one that could undermine both accountability and public confidence in its outcomes if left unaddressed.

On Tuesday, 7 April, this pattern again came into sharp focus during the testimony of Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) boss Yolande Faro.

Faro claimed that her attempts to halt costly ad hoc security services in the city had triggered a backlash against her.

“A smear campaign started against me. It was alleged that I had misrepresented my qualifications and that I received a R450,000 voucher — from whom, I do not know. A forensic investigation was conducted,” she said, noting the findings had cleared her of the allegations.

Her evidence to the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday focused on allegations of corruption in tender procurement processes within the TMPD, including claims of undue interference by Sergeant Fannie Nkosi, who was arrested last week after the police allegedly found cash-in-transit dockets, unlicensed ammunition and a grenade at his Pretoria house.

Into the Tshwane fire

Faro began her law enforcement career in 1998 at the City of Cape Town, rising through the ranks to the position of deputy metro police commissioner. She left the metro in 2016 to take up a new role as metro police chief in Nelson Mandela Bay, where she served out her five-year contract.

Following this, she applied for the position of chief of police at the TMPD, where she assumed office on 1 October 2023.

Faro stepped into the role when the TMPD was grappling with a wave of alleged tender irregularities — placing immediate and intense pressure on her to restore integrity and accountability within the department.

The rot apparently continued years into her tenure.

“Over the past weeks, I have come to learn, with great shock and dismay, of what was apparently taking place in the TMPD,” she testified on Tuesday. “One thing that I hate is a criminal in uniform.”

She said there was a “clear system of siphoning of money in criminal activities”.

Alleged tender rigging

At the centre of the controversy is a 2016/17 tender for physical security services to protect property, assets and personnel at the TMPD, which appears to have been plagued by irregularities, missing documentation and repeated legal challenges.

A replacement tender — only advertised on 10 March 2026 — remains unfinalised, nearly a decade after the original process was initiated, underscoring the prolonged dysfunction in the system.

The alleged tender corruption was exposed before the Madlanga Commission during the testimony of Revo Spies, TMPD deputy police commissioner at the Asset Protection and Security Unit, on 24 March.

He said that manipulation of the procurement process may have channelled as much as R2.9-billion to security companies.

According to Spies’ evidence, total payments under the tender — from March 2022 to the end of January 2026 — averaged roughly R730-million annually.

Among the 22 appointed service providers, Gubis 85 Solutions — owned by Gauteng businessman Calvin Mahlangu — stands out. The company allegedly received more than R59-million in the financial year 2024/25 for ad hoc services only, further intensifying concerns over systemic weaknesses and possible exploitation of the tender framework.

Also benefiting were Zingwenya 210 Investment CC and Triotic Protection Services, the latter reportedly linked to the City of Tshwane’s deputy mayor, Eugene Modise, from the ANC.

Triotic is one of the security firms that were flagged during recent testimony by Nkosi before the Madlanga Commission, further intensifying scrutiny over political links to companies benefiting from the tender.

The controversy came to the fore on 5 March 2025, when Spies was alerted to questionable internal communications involving senior officials. According to testimony, Tshwane’s suspended chief financial officer, Gareth Mnisi, and deputy TMPD commissioner Umashi Dhlamini had exchanged messages — relayed through Nkosi — regarding the creation of purchase orders for ad hoc security services.

“The purchase orders created out of this process were registered on the TMPD system only on 6 March 2025. These included an order for an ad hoc service ostensibly procured from Gubis 85 Solutions in the aggregate amount of more than R13-million plus more than R11-million VAT,” said Spies.

The purchase orders led to a sharp escalation in the use of ad hoc guards: 37 additional sites were introduced in January 2025, followed by six more in February 2025.

Faro’s intervention

Faro maintained that she only became aware of the issue after Dhlamini sent an email to Spies on 12 March 2025, requesting additional funding.

“Upon receiving it, I became aware of the cost implications and the lack of clarity around the procurement of the ad hoc security services. It was also not apparent that there was a proper procedure in place,” she said.

The spike in costs prompted a firm response from Faro, who imposed stricter controls, including mandatory formal applications, confirmed budgets and risk assessments.

However, the directive appears to have had little practical effect. Payments for ad hoc services continued in the months that followed, with Gubis 85 Solutions repeatedly submitting invoices — pointing to a clear disconnect between instruction and implementation.

Faro later discovered that the request for additional funding could be traced back to a message from Mnisi on 25 February 2025.

It appeared that the escalating costs stemmed from the unauthorised and irregular deployment of ad hoc security services, allegedly initiated by an inspector, AL Phiri, who, according to Faro, did not have the authority to issue such directives.

Faro has since halted the deployment of all ad hoc security services.

Security clearances

Faro confirmed that she holds a top secret clearance, which was renewed on 3 December 2025 and is valid until 31 December 2030.

Under questioning from Commissioner Sandile Khumalo, Faro admitted that several of her deputies lack the required top-level security clearance.

“I’m going to be very honest with you — not all my deputies have SSA [State Security Agency] clearance,” Faro stated, acknowledging a major oversight within her leadership team.

Despite the notorious difficulty of the vetting process, Faro emphasised that such clearance is an absolute requirement for senior officials, including metro police deputies and brigadiers.

Khumalo asked Faro whether, as the head of the TMPD, it was not ultimately her responsibility to ensure that all her subordinates possessed the required security clearance, particularly in light of the serious allegations of siphoning of funds and criminal activity emerging from the inquiry.

He pointed out that one of the implicated individuals is a deputy within the TMPD, questioning why that official had not been subjected to vetting or formal clearance processes.

Faro conceded that this was a shortcoming within the system. “Commissioner, this is one of the things we will have to sharpen up. Perhaps it is something we may have taken for granted, but it must be compulsory,” she said.

Khumalo stressed that the matter required immediate attention and should not hinge on the outcome of the commission. DM