Tshukudu Malatji, the suspended director for Asset Protection Services at the Tshwane Metro Police Department.
Image: Kamogelo Moichela / IOL News
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 director for Asset Protection Services at the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Thursday.
The tender in question, known as TMPD 02-2016/2017, has two components, including monthly payments for watchman services covering the 22 security companies and ad hoc services assigned as needed to suit the requirements of various municipal departments.
Malatji, who is currently on suspension, was questioned about the removal of the bid documents from the city’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) premises to Tshwane Leadership Academy, Primos, and the impact on the procurement process.
He told the commission that the removal of bids was necessitated by security issues observed by the Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC).
“For instance, movement of SCM officials in and out of the storage was not controlled, cameras in the building were not working, and the SCM officials had unlimited access to the storage facility. We (BEC members) made a request to move from the SCM building, which was approved by the chairperson of the BEC. The removal of the bids did not have any negative impact on the work of the BEC,” Malatji said.
He further stated that the chairperson of the BEC was also of the opinion that moving bids to another location would be in the interest of doing quality work, and he picked it up with supply chain management officials to address where the BEC could be moved.
The commission’s evidence leader, Advocate Mpilo Sikhakhane, asked Malatji whether the chairperson of the BEC had the authority to move the bids, to which he replied that he was not sure.
Sikhakhane told Malatji: “I am saying this because the report that we went through, earlier on in file 2 (part of the evidence presented before the commission), it is very clear that the SCM raised an issue that the bids were moved without authorisation, and communication from the head of SCM.”
Malatji said he was aware that the BEC chairperson had interacted with one senior official from SCM before the actual movement of the bids.
Sikhakhane further asked Malatji: “If the BEC had no authority to move bids to another location, as the report suggests, and let’s forget the court order. To remove the bids, do you accept the following possibilities: that the integrity of the bids could have been compromised?
“I accept,” Malatji said.
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 the bids are normally received sealed by the SCM administration officials, and are unsealed by the SCM administration to compile a bid register and other general administration compliance before they are handed over to the BEC.
“As a result, the bids handed to the BEC were not sealed,” Malatji said.
He added that the number of bids evaluated tallied with the received bids.
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 SC asked Malatji: “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.
gcwalisile.khanyile@inl.co.za