TMPD deputy chief says junior officials lacked authority over security tenders

By Johnathan Paoli

Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) Deputy Chief Sean Bolhuis said junior officials had no authority to allocate security sites worth millions of rand, as commissioners questioned oversight failures and the role of senior officials during alleged procurement irregularities.

Testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday, Bolhuis described the allocations as “totally irregular” and outside established decision-making structures.

“As the caretaker, I never allocated these sites to Gubis 85 Solutions, nor instructed Inspector Lebogang Phiri to do so, nor gave him delegated authority,” Bolhuis said.

“In my view, Inspector Phiri did not have the power to allocate sites to security service providers.”

He said it was “impossible” for a single official to allocate multiple sites across Pretoria in one day, adding the process did not follow standard procedures.

The commission heard the allocations carried monthly commitments running into millions of rand, including one case where two