By Johnathan Paoli
Suspended Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) deputy chief Umashi Dhlamini has conceded that he repeatedly passed information between suspended Organised Crime Sergeant Fannie Nkosi and Tshwane CFO Gareth Mnisi, but shifted blame to the latter, claiming that Nkosi was an “extension” of Mnisi in sensitive financial matters, including the controversial security tender linked to Gubis85 Solutions.
Returning to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday, Dhlamini acknowledged that he communicated with the CFO through Nkosi, despite the latter being a member of the public with no formal role in municipal financial processes.
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“As I indicated, the CFO saw it fit that he must use Sergeant Nkosi to communicate with me. He made Sergeant Nkosi his extension,” Dhlamini said.
Evidence leader advocate Matthew Chaskalson asked Dhlamini on why he did not engage directly with Mnisi, but he maintained that he was merely “responding” to the CFO through Nkosi.
However, commission chair Mbuyiseli Madlanga challenged this arrangement, stating bluntly that involving Nkosi in discussions about municipal payments was inherently problematic.
“You are improperly dealing with city affairs through Sergeant Nkosi and there’s no debating that. It’s simply improper to involve Sergeant Nkosi in this,” Madlanga said.
Dhlamini resisted that characterisation, conceding only that the situation was “incorrect” rather than improper.
“I wouldn’t use the improper, Commissioner. I’ll say it was incorrect maybe for the CFO to have involved Sergeant Nkosi from the onset on this matter,” he said.
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The line of questioning centred on Dhlamini’s handling of invoices linked to Gubis85 Solutions, a service provider that had complained about delayed payments.
Evidence before the commission shows that Dhlamini engaged both the CFO and Nkosi in discussions about how to resolve outstanding invoices, some of which dated back to the previous financial year.
Dhlamini confirmed that he met with Gubis85 owner Calvin Mahlangu and another representative named “Andrew”, advising them on how to pursue payment.
“I gave them the process to be undertaken in terms of a post-facto payment, they must go and see Director Malatji and so forth to deal with this matter,” he said.
Yet WhatsApp messages presented to the commission suggested that he also directed them toward the CFO, raising questions about inconsistency in his account.
“I explained to them what the process is, but people who are sometimes service providers, believe maybe there might be another way to handle it,” he said.
Chaskalson pressed further on why Dhlamini continued to use Nkosi as an intermediary even weeks after the initial engagement.
In one message, Dhlamini explicitly asked Nkosi to seek guidance from the CFO on whether he should meet with the Gubis representatives.
“I know that he has got a relationship with the CFO, I felt it could be an easier way for me to check with Sergeant Nkosi,” Dhlamini said.
Madlanga questioned this reasoning, noting that Dhlamini, as a senior official, had both the authority and ability to contact the CFO directly.
“You’re not a junior employee, You must have known that Sergeant Nkosi has no business being involved in this,” he said.
Dhlamini insisted the arrangement was driven by the CFO’s preference and he was simply ‘following Mnisi’s lead’.
“I did not choose, Commissioner, out of my own. He made Sergeant Nkosi an extension that I must respond to,” he said.
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The commission also examined whether Dhlamini improperly shared documents, including a Gubis invoice, with Nkosi.
Dhlamini acknowledged this was not appropriate, but maintained that he had no substantive role in assisting Gubis, arguing that his involvement was limited to relaying information and advising on process.
Earlier in his testimony, Dhlamini similarly resisted claims that he had actively assisted Nkosi’s brother Bheki Nkosi and his company Ngaphesheya, despite evidence that he frequently relayed information between parties.
The inquiry considered Dhlamini’s claims about an alleged tender in Mpumalanga linked to a so-called “Mathews Phosa Municipality”, an entity the commission has already established does not exist.
Dhlamini maintained that he believed the tender was legitimate and that he was merely passing along information from a third party and ‘tender-expert’, Nico Mathobela, who was assisting Nkosi’s brother.
Chaskalson questioned why Dhlamini would involve himself at all in a tender outside his jurisdiction, particularly when the same company had active bids before the metro.
But Dhlamini insisted that in light of his long friendship with Nkosi, he would try and help out the brother of his friend.
Both Gubis85 Solutions and Ngaphesheya are two of the companies who won a multi-million ‘ad-hoc’ security tender with the metro that is being investigated by the commission.
The commission continues.
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