Tshwane CFO’s luxury lifestyle under scrutiny ahead of explosive Madlanga appearance
Tshwane’s chief financial officer, Gareth Mnisi, is set to face tough questioning at the Madlanga Commission next week amid mounting scrutiny over his lavish lifestyle and alleged role in manipulating tenders at the City of Tshwane.
Gareth Mnisi, the man who is alleged to have manipulated tenders in the City of Tshwane, lived a life of luxury, amassing wealth that a high court has found he has been dishonest about.
Mnisi made a brief appearance at the commission on Thursday, not to testify, but to reschedule his appearance. He is now expected to take the hot seat next Friday.
Yesterday, the Tshwane CFO made a brief appearance at the Madlanga commission to reschedule his appearance.
Mnisi, who has been mentioned in testimonies alleging he had given tenders to his preferred companies, is expected to take the hot seat next week Friday.
His upcoming evidence comes against the backdrop of a damning 2024 civil judgment in the Johannesburg High Court, which laid bare a lifestyle that Judge Sarita Liebenberg found far outstripped that of an “ordinary” person – and which Mnisi failed to explain adequately.
It has emerged that in 2024 Mnisi was dragged to the high court in Johannesburg in a civil matter and it emerged there that he enjoyed a lifestyle that went beyond that of the “ordinary” person.
Mnisi, who joined the municipality in 2023 after a stint at the Rand West City local municipality in Gauteng, was shown in court papers to earn a net salary of R124 000 a month. Yet he appeared to control a portfolio of luxury assets, vehicles and properties that raised serious questions about the true extent and sources of his wealth.
Mnisi, who joined the municipality in 2023, previously worked at the Rand West City local municipality in Gauteng.
Documents showed he earned a net salary of R124,000 but had managed to amass wealth and an empire whose sources he could not explain to the court. His failure of disclosure left judge Sarita Liebenberg frustrated, saying Mnisi was using a “catch-me-if-you- can” strategy.
According to court papers, Mnisi’s travel, fashion and car habits spoke to a taste for top-end luxury.
According to court papers, Mnisi often travelled first class on his trips abroad.
He also had expensive taste in watches, owning at least three Tag Hauer watches, the most recent of which he bought in December 2023 for R34,000
Mnisi also came across as a snappy dresser, wearing only expensive brands.
But it was his stable of high-performance vehicles and property holdings that most starkly illustrated the gap between his official income and his apparent wealth.
The documents also revealed that he drove several vehicles, which include supercars and other expensive vehicles including a Porsche Targ a 2023 model Porsche 911 Turbo (worth about R6m), which he apparently used as a “leisure” vehicle.
He apparently also owned a 2023 BMW X6 M50D, which he used as a “work” vehicle.
He and the applicant in the high court matter had no less than two Range Rovers.
There was also two BMW 125i, an older model BMW X6, a Mercedes Benz CLA 45, a Toyota Hilux Single Cab and a Volkswagen Golf 8R.
He also owned a BMW X6, which he registered under his mother’s name.
Confronted with this list, Mnisi conceded to owning only four vehicles and claimed that the remaining supercars belonged to a third party, who supposedly allowed him to use them for free over extended periods.
However, Mnisi conceded to owning only four vehicles and claimed the rest of the supercars belonged to a third party and he was using them for free.
Judge Liebenberg rejected that explanation as implausible.
But Liebenberg would not have none of that. “In the normal course of business, very few if any vehicle dealers or owners will allow the use of an expensive vehicle for months on end at no charge,” read her judgment.
“In the absence of explanation for the peculiar agreement between the respondent [Mnisi] and the third party, I do not accept the respondent’s version on this score. Yet, the exact relationship between the respondent and the third party remains a mystery. The explanation he offers for his use of various supercars and very expensive sedans are feeble and has no ring of truth to it.”
The court also found that Mnisi controlled two trusts, registered in 2016 and 2021, which collectively owned 10 immovable properties worth about R36 million.
It also emerged that Mnisi was controlling two trusts registered in 2016 and 2021, which own 10 immovable properties worth R36m.
One of the properties, valued at R9,5m, is in Mbombela, while Mnisi lived in another home in Bryanston valued at R15m, which he had been building from scratch using cash.
Mnisi did not provide any financial statements for the trusts, which the court considered a serious omission.
Mnisi did not produce any financial statements for either of the trusts to the high court, which the court found to be less than honest.
“The respondent is not frank and honest in disclosing his financial affairs,” the judgment read.
There were also four companies he used as conduits for payments.
The civil ruling paints a picture of a senior municipal official whose disclosed earnings do not tally with his visible assets, and who, in the court’s view, was evasive about the true nature of his financial affairs. Those findings now hang heavily over his anticipated testimony at the Madlanga Commission, where he is alleged to have influenced the awarding of security tenders to preferred companies.
Last month Tshwane served Mnisi with a notice to suspend him following the revelations at the Madlanga commission. He, however, contested the suspension for lacking details of the alleged wrongdoing.
On Thursday, We reported that a special council granted Mnisi an extension to explain why he shouldn’t be suspended despite his demand for the suspension notice to be immediately withdrawn.
Mnisi did not respond to Sowetan’s request for comment on Thursday.
As things stand, Mnisi remains in his post while he fights attempts to suspend him and prepares for a high-stakes appearance before the commission. There, he will face questions not only about alleged tender manipulation, but also about how a municipal CFO on a six-figure salary came to live like a multimillionaire – and why, in the words of a High Court judge, his explanations have “no ring of truth to it”.
