Allegations of political interference, tender manipulation, and possible fraud in the metro have resurfaced following testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, prompting the DA to release details of a network of companies and politically connected individuals who benefit from municipal contracts.

The party’s claims centre on a cluster of service providers linked through a shared address, historical payment irregularities and alleged attempts to influence officials to settle invoices that were not properly authorised.

The controversy was reignited by Sergeant Fannie Nkosi’s testimony at the commission, where the name of Elshadai Security Services emerged in relation to a security tender that was allegedly subject to political interference.

The DA said this prompted a review of company records and past internal concerns dating back to its time in government in Tshwane.

According to DA Tshwane Caucus Chief Whip Jacqui Uys, her party’s internal investigation uncovered a pattern suggesting multiple companies registered at the same address were repeatedly awarded municipal contracts, particularly in the waste management and water tanker sectors.

She said this raised concerns that the companies could have been acting in concert to secure tenders in contravention of procurement regulations.

Uys said that while reviewing company records on the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission database, she discovered that Elshadai Security Services shared a registered address at 148 Visvanger Street in Pretoria North with several other companies that had also conducted business with the metro.

She added that the Auditor-General had also flagged irregularities in the city’s 2023/24 financial audit relating to a tender identified as SS01 2023/24, which covered the provision of waste collection and water tanker services.

Several of the companies associated with the flagged tender were registered at the same Visvanger Street address.

Uys said that during her tenure as MMC for Finance, she raised these concerns with the city’s CFO, Gareth Mnisi, who assured her that the issues identified by the Auditor-General would be addressed.

However, the DA was removed from government shortly afterwards, limiting its ability to pursue the matter further.

“My exploratory visit to the Visvanger Street property revealed a yard containing water tankers, waste removal trucks and heavy machinery,” Uys said.

She added that company searches showed several of the businesses that benefited from the SS01 2023/24 tender shared common directors.

One of the companies became a focal point of the DA’s concerns after Regional ANC chairperson George Matjila made enquiries to municipal officials regarding payments to the company.

According to Uys, investigations into these invoices revealed that many were backdated to 2018 and were not supported by purchase orders, raising suspicions that officials were being pressured to authorise payments for services that had not been properly requisitioned.

Uys said a subsequent report presented to a Section 79 oversight committee at the end of 2025 showed several of the companies Matjila had enquired about had debit balances totalling R6.8-million on their supplier accounts.

Payments had ultimately been processed by the municipality without the normal invoicing procedures.

She said the DA would submit all relevant documentation to the Madlanga Commission to assist investigators in determining whether there were links between these relationships and the tender processes under scrutiny.

DA Caucus leader Cilliers Brink said the party believed the information pointed to a co-ordinated effort to extract money from the metro through inflated or irregular contracts in the security, water tanker, and waste management sectors.

He said the party had already laid criminal complaints and would continue to co-operate with investigators from the Hawks and the Public Protector.

The ANC in Tshwane rejected the DA’s allegations and accused the opposition party of recycling unproven claims.

ANC Greater Tshwane spokesperson Joel Masilela said the party would not interfere in ongoing investigations and believed that “all allegations should be tested through the appropriate legal and investigative processes”.

Masilela said the ANC had consistently maintained that its members had complied with declaration requirements and had recused themselves where necessary during any tender processes.

He added that the party had initiated its own internal processes and supported external investigations, including those conducted by the Madlanga Commission and law enforcement authorities.

“Testimony at a commission of inquiry does not constitute proof of wrongdoing and should not be treated as definitive findings,” said Masilela.

According to him, the ANC believed in allowing due process to take its course and cautioned against suspending or sanctioning individuals purely on the basis of allegations that had not yet been tested.

Matjila also denied that he had any improper relationship with companies doing business with the metro and rejected suggestions that he sought to influence payment processes for personal or political gain.

He said claims by the DA that the mayor, Dr Nasiphi Moya from ActionSA, was acting as a puppet of the ANC and protecting the deputy mayor or that he had a contractual relationship with the metro, were untrue.

He said there were no individuals within the governing coalition who carried disproportionate influence or operated outside of agreed governance structures, adding that coalition partners regularly held one another accountable where shortcomings were identified.

– Click here to listen to DA Caucus leader, Cilliers Brink:

– Click here to listen to ANC spokesperson Joel Masilela:

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