Two senior officials in the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department conceded before the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday that the department lacks adequate internal controls and oversight. Their admissions add to a growing body of testimony exposing systemic governance failures in the capital’s metro police force.
Why it matters: The Madlanga Commission has been systematically documenting how weak governance in Tshwane’s metro police enabled a network of officials and private contractors to divert public funds through fraudulent tenders. The admissions confirm that the failures were structural, not isolated.
What was said
The two officials, whose names have not been widely reported, told the commission that the department’s procurement and contract management processes lacked the checks that would ordinarily prevent abuse. The testimony came after earlier evidence revealed that ad hoc security services, designed for emergency short-term needs, were being used at 43 sites simultaneously.
TMPD chief Yolande Faro told the commission on Monday that she halted an irregular private security tender worth R800 million after it was approved by a deputy commissioner who has since been suspended.
CFO faces suspension
In a related development, Tshwane’s chief financial officer has been given seven more days to provide reasons why he should not be suspended. The move signals that the fallout from the commission’s findings is spreading beyond the metro police into the city’s broader financial management.
Scale of the inquiry
The Madlanga Commission has now heard from 49 witnesses over 84 days of hearings. President Ramaphosa extended the commission’s term, with a second interim report due by the end of May and a final report expected in August.