Mnisi accused of using his position to cancel tender on behalf of notorious taxi boss

Tshwane's suspended Chief Financial Officer, Gareth Mnisi, has been accused of using his position to cancel a tender at the municipality on behalf of a notorious taxi boss.

Mnisi, who is also the chairperson of the city’s bid adjudication committee, has been grilled over the decision to cancel a 2024 security tender.

The tender was initially intended to replace a previous security tender for the guarding of critical municipal infrastructure.

WhatsApp chats before the Madlanga Commission show in March last year, Sergeant Fannie Nkosi was in possession of a confidential bid evaluation committee document relating to the security tender.

Nkosi sent that document to someone he identified only as ‘Mampane’ and as the right-hand man of the late taxi boss, Jonathan ‘Mswazi’ Msibi.

Mampane responded to Nkosi, saying, "Bhuti, please let him say no to that appointment."

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Evidence leader, Matthew Chaskalson, said this then triggered a chain of events leading to the tender being cancelled by the bid adjudication committee, which Mnisi chaired.

"What I want to put to you, Mr Mnisi, if we look at these three bullet points (in the BAC report), none of them justify a reason to cancel."

However, Mnisi disagrees.

"I had indicated clearly that the probity report is a critical document that was considered by the BAC in terms of cancelling that. I further disagree with the notion that I had any knowledge of whatever discussions were occurring between Mr Mampane and Sergeant Nkosi."

The cancellation of the tender meant the municipality was forced to extend the expiry date of a previous one it had in place since 2022.