PRETORIA, Gauteng — Tshwane infrastructure security faces a severe crisis after critical guard contracts at municipal facilities lapsed on October 1 without replacement agreements in place. Democratic Alliance (DA) Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink has written to the city manager, demanding urgent measures to safeguard the city’s essential services against criminal attacks.
The termination of security personnel contracts affects all city infrastructure sites, including power stations, substations, and reservoirs. According to Brink, the contracts expired without any contingency arrangements or replacement agreements being implemented by the municipality.
The Impact of Lapsed Contracts
Themba Fosi, DA Tshwane utilities spokesperson, revealed that the municipality was fully aware the month-to-month contracts were nearing their end. However, the city failed to initiate standard Supply Chain Management (SCM) processes to renew them. Fosi noted that the asset protection director had instructed contractors to vacate all Tshwane installations once the contracts lapsed.
The sudden withdrawal of security leaves the city’s critical infrastructure highly vulnerable to prevalent issues such as cable theft and vandalism. Highlighting the potential for disaster, Fosi pointed to a recent massive power outage in Pretoria East caused by lightning, noting that on-site protection is essential to prevent catastrophic damage and minimize restoration delays.
Financial Context and Calls for Investigation
The security lapse comes amid scrutiny over the municipality’s finances. Fosi referenced the Madlanga Commission, which previously highlighted that the city’s private security bill had ballooned to a staggering R2.9 billion.
Fosi suspects the failure to advertise for new contractors and follow normal SCM procedures three months prior to the expiration is linked to these financial complexities. Consequently, the DA is calling for a full investigation into what caused the delay and why standard procurement processes were bypassed.
Accountability and Oversight
Addressing the lack of communication from municipal leadership, Fosi stated that the responsibility lies squarely with the Executive Mayor and the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Safety and Security. He emphasized that standard protocol requires renewal processes to begin at least three months before a contract expires to allow for a seamless takeover by new contractors.
Currently, no political office bearer has provided an explanation for the lapse or outlined a mitigation strategy. “The buck stops with him,” Fosi stated regarding the MMC, demanding that leadership take responsibility and explain why new contractors were not installed to maintain 24-hour site protection.
The Future of Municipal Security
Addressing speculation about a shift toward building in-house municipal security capacity, Fosi argued that the city’s current financial state cannot support such an initiative. He stressed that the municipality must first get its finances in order before attempting to build internal capacity.
Furthermore, Fosi emphasized that relying solely on “warm bodies” is an outdated and insufficient strategy for protecting critical infrastructure. The DA advocates for the integration of advanced on-site technology to actively prevent theft. With the current administration failing to secure even basic physical guards ahead of the new political term, Fosi warned that the city remains critically exposed to a new wave of infrastructure vandalism trending across South Africa.
