By Johnathan Paoli
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has executed search warrants at Tshwane House and the residence of City of Tshwane chief financial officer Gareth Mnisi.
Tshwane mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi confirmed on Thursday that SARS officials had arrived at the municipality’s headquarters and that Mnisi subsequently left the premises accompanied by individuals wearing SARS apparel.
“We can confirm that SARS had previously advised the City of its intention to execute search warrants at the office and residence of the Chief Financial Officer, Mr Gareth Mnisi. We believe that SARS has since executed those warrants,” Mgobozi said.
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“Any further questions regarding the nature of the operation, the execution of the warrants or Mr Mnisi’s status should be directed to the South African Revenue Service,” he added.
SARS had not publicly disclosed the purpose of Thursday’s operation at the time of publication.
The operation comes months after Mnisi returned to work following disciplinary proceedings linked to allegations raised at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
Mnisi was suspended earlier this year after allegations emerged that he had shared confidential tender information and may have influenced procurement processes while serving as chairperson of the City of Tshwane’s Bid Adjudication Committee.
The commission’s chief evidence leader, Matthew Chaskalson, previously questioned Mnisi about his relationship with corruption-accused police sergeant Fannie Nkosi, whom Mnisi described as a lifelong friend, and allegations that their relationship intersected with municipal procurement processes.
Chaskalson put it to Mnisi that Nkosi had allegedly approached him to influence a Tshwane tender bid in favour of a company linked to Nkosi’s brother, Bheki.
The evidence leader also questioned Mnisi about communications with Bheki, including an alleged invitation to submit a bid for another tender while a separate procurement process was still open.
The commission heard further allegations about the sharing of confidential documents, including a competitor’s priced invoice, and the failure to disclose relevant relationships and interactions to the independent legal firm overseeing the process.
Chaskalson argued that the alleged non-disclosure was sufficient to create a reasonable apprehension of bias that could undermine the validity of the tender process.
Mnisi rejected the allegations, maintaining that he had no interests in the companies concerned, received no benefits from Nkosi and that procurement decisions were made collectively under external legal oversight.
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A forensic investigation examined whether Mnisi had failed to declare certain business interests and relationships with companies involved in municipal tenders.
Although the investigation did not find him guilty of misconduct, it recommended disciplinary action.
In July, the Tshwane council voted to classify the allegations against Mnisi as less serious, paving the way for his return to work after he received a final written warning.
The decision drew criticism from DA Tshwane caucus leader Cilliers Brink, who argued that Mnisi had received a “soft landing” despite the seriousness of the allegations.
The DA subsequently launched an urgent court application challenging the decision to downgrade the allegations and the legality of the council meeting at which the decision was adopted. The party later withdrew the application.
SARS had yet to disclose whether Thursday’s operation was directly linked to the allegations examined by the Madlanga commission.
This is a developing story.
