Inspector Phiri

Deputy Chief Dhlamini states that the report concerning Inspector Phiri was actually sent to him by Director Minnaar on 29 July 2025; Deputy Chief Spies did not personally come to him with the report.

“Because Director Minnaar, it was indicated that he reports to me under internal affairs and he came to me to indicate that, I mean, he was given a mandate by the Deputy Chief Spies to investigate Inspector Phiri... On 29 July, he sent the report to say, I am done with the report, this is the report I am forwarding to D C Spies.”

Director Malatji has a line of command in his Asset Protection Services including Reginald Mahlangu (Beauty Director), Dr Elvis Madihlaba, and Inspector Phiri who reports to Senior Superintendent Madihlaba.

“I have got the Beauty Director Mahlangu, Reginald Mahlangu, who reports directly to me. I have got Dr Elvis Madihlaba, who is reporting to Reginald Mahlangu in terms of our operational structure. And I have got senior security officers... particularly Inspector Phiri, who are reporting to Senior Superintendent Mahlaba.”

Inspector Phiri was promoted in 2026 to the rank of Major and reports to Reginald Mahlangu, the current Acting Director for 10 months where Director Malatji is absent.

“They have been promoted not long. He is also at the level of colonel, who is also reporting to Reginald Mahlangu, who is the Acting Director at the moment, since I am not in the office for the past 10 months or so... I am told he has been given the position of a major... It was this year, according to the information I heard, 2026.”

Inspector Phiri allocated numerous security service sites to Gubis 85 Solutions (Pty) Ltd during January 2025 without proper authority.

“It has come to my knowledge recently that the then Inspector Phiri allocated numerous sites to one of the service providers, Gubis 85 Solutions (Pty) Ltd. The schedule of sites allocated to Gubis 85 (Pty) Ltd during January 2025 is attached as Annexure SB4, notification for deployment letter signed by Mr A L Phiri.”

Inspector Phiri did not ordinarily have the necessary powers or delegation to allocate sites to any service provider in his role in Asset Protection Services (APS).

“Inspector Phiri was an inspector, Asset Protection Services. In such a position, he does not ordinarily have the necessary powers and/or delegation to allocate sites to any service provider.”

An inspector in APS is an entry-level supervisory position with no management authority over site allocations.

“On that level, Madam Commissioner, and in the attachment where we look at the job description of a generic inspector, it is a low-level supervision position. So I would then assume that he would have exercised supervisory, visionary role over junior personnel. It is not a management position. It is an entry-level, supervisory level.”

Inspector Phiri allocated 42 sites to Gubis 85 Solutions over about two months in early 2025, involving millions of rand of public funds, and this allocation was irregular and illegal.

“It is clear that it is irregular and it was completely illegal to do so, and that the person that allocated those sites, Mr Phiri implicated, had no authority to do so. ... it is 42 allocations over a space of two months running into millions of rands allocated to one company.”

Inspector Phiri was the signatory issuing notification letters to Gubis 85 Solutions (Pty) Ltd, allocating sites and setting out numbers of security officers, patrol vehicles, and monthly costs per site.

“Mr Phiri is a signatory, issued notification letters to the directors of Gubis 85 Solutions (Pty) Ltd ... each notification letter mentioned the name of the allocated site, number of security offices to be deployed, number of patrol vehicles, and monthly cost per site.”

Inspector Phiri allocated 40 sites to Gubis 85 Solutions valued at over R141 million during 14 January to 13 February 2025.

“During the period of 14 January to 13 February 2025, Inspector Phiri allocated 40 sites to Gubis 85 Solutions (Pty) Ltd to the value of R14101520.89.”

Inspector Phiri did not have the power or authority to allocate sites; this was the function of APS management, specifically Director Malatji.

“In my view, Inspector Phiri did not have the power or authority to allocate sites to security service providers. The allocation of sites would have been the function of APS management, specifically Director Malatji.”

A deployment letter was signed off by Dr K E Madihlaba and Inspector Phiri but the contract ended on the 30th, so services should have stopped regardless of the letter.

“page 399 and page 400 which has been signed off by Dr K E Madihlaba. There is Inspector Phiri that I have signed it off and as I stated that they sent this back to me to say that, but we had written permission to proceed with it and when they sent this to me and I looked at it, I replied back to them to say, but in any case your contract ended the 30th, so stop the services even if you had this and that. I did not say anything further to them about this.”

Letters authorizing deployment were issued without knowledge of senior department members and Inspector Phiri is too low in rank to authorize deployment.

“What I then did is, this is the first time that us and even the department, I even spoke to Deputy Commissioner Bolhuis about it, none of us knew that these letters were issued and I looked at these letters and Inspector Phiri, in terms of command and control, in our ranking structure, if you go from the bottom up, you have a Constable Sergeant Inspector, then a Superintendent, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier, which is the Director level and the Deputy Chief level. Inspector Phiri, in my mind and at that moment in time, is way too low to authorise any expenditure or even to deploy.”

An investigation found there is enough evidence against Inspector Phiri to start consequence management against him for unauthorized actions.

“Mr Baloyi then responded to me about a week later and he stated to me that there is enough evidence against Inspector Phiri that we can start and proceed with consequence management against him.”

Inspector Phiri is a Metro Police officer assigned as a regional supervisor for Asset Protection Security Services and reports to Colonel Madihlaba, Colonel Mahlangu, and Director Malatji but should not have deployment authority.

“Inspector Phiri has been assigned, he is a Metro Police officer that is been assigned to the APSS, the Asset Protection Security Services, as a regional supervisor. And in that turn, he reports as a regional supervisor, he reports to the then Senior Superintendent Madihlaba, who is now a Colonel Madihlaba. But he reported to, Colonel Madihlaba, Colonel Mahlangu, Reginald Mahlangu, and to Director Malatji. So that is the direct line of command between them. And as I stated already, Inspector Phiri should not have at all the authority to deploy this.”

The deployment letters were created on 14 January before purchase orders created in March, which is the incorrect procedural order for deployments.

“If I base it on the dates that I receive, obviously this is speaking in hindsight because I only received this on the 26th of June. But the purchase orders that I now know was all created on March 6th, but the deployment letters were already created in 14 of January. It is completely wrong way around.”

Director Malatji was appointed project manager and responsible for dealing with all aspects of the tender; an inspector does not have authority to deploy or incur costs on behalf of the city.

“Director Malatji was appointed as the project manager, and he had to deal with all aspects of this tender, and an inspector does not have the authority to deploy or incur any cost on behalf of the city.”

The report on challenges in the investigation was concluded by Internal Affairs and sent on 29 and 30 July, but a key witness, Inspector Phiri, was unable to be interviewed or provide a statement before finalization.

“this report was concluded on the email that was already sent on the 29th of July...sent to the Deputy Chief Dhlamini for his office...Unable to interview Malatji if he is suspended and suspended but unable to interview and obtain a statement from Inspector Phiri”

Gubis 85 Solutions sent multiple attachments back with their response to the stop letter, including the original award letter from 2022 and reports of their services rendered, and deployment lists signed off mostly by Inspector Phiri who conducted the deployments.

“they have also attached a lot of attachments...they have sent me the original award letter...a report through to me of their services rendered...deployment...signed off at the bottom...contact Lebohang Phiri...signature...Inspector Phiri.”

Inspector Phiri was responsible for conducting the security deployments to 43 sites listed by Gubis 85.

“I noticed that the deployments were done by Inspector Phiri who did the deployments...43 sites, there is an individual page for every deployment.”

Every deployment related document in the list from page 382 to 424 was signed by Inspector Phiri, except pages 18 and 19 in the report which were unsigned by him.

“everything according to me is signed by Mr Phiri...page 8, I say page 18 but 18 in the report, two of the files is not Mr Phiri but it is a page in my pdf, it is 18 and 19...”

Inspector Phiri failed to give a statement despite instructions; his direct supervisor also failed to get him to report, leading to disciplinary steps and consequence management being introduced.

“His direct supervisor has been given instructions that he must report Monday morning past 10 o'clock at the office . He has failed to do so . So disciplinary steps and consequence management is being introduced again for that as well . So , we are trying to get hold of him , but we are starting with consequence management , not us , but the department and his regional divisional head .”