Suspended cop and Tshwane CFO under scrutiny over luxury wheels and alleged tender ties
Suspended Tshwane chief financial officer (CFO) Gareth Mnisi is not the only figure linked to the Madlanga commission whose taste for high-end vehicles has raised eyebrows. Beleaguered Pretoria organised crime sergeant Fannie Nkosi, who earns a modest police salary, has amassed a fleet of motorbikes and vehicles worth well over R1 million – now in sharp focus as corruption and lifestyle questions swirl around both men.
Just like suspended Tshwane CFO Gareth Mnisi, beleaguered police sergeant Fannie Nkosi also appears to have a taste for luxury vehicles.
While earning a modest monthly salary of about R16,500, Nkosi has amassed a fleet of high-end motorbikes which may be worth well over R1m.
A Sunday Times vehicle ownership search reveals that Nkosi owns a touring Harley-Davidson with a market value of around R820,000, a Harley-Davidson VRSCA worth about R100,000, a Regal Raptor 350cc estimated at R25,000, and a Suzuki M109R valued at more than R250,000. He also owns a Land Rover and two quad-bike trailers.
Nkosi, a member of the organised crime unit, is due back in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday to continue his bail application.
Nkosi, an organised crime unit member, is back in the Pretoria magistrate’s court tomorrow to continue with his bail application. He was arrested after being found in possession of state-owned ammunition and a hand grenade, six case dockets, R50,000 in cash and seven unsecured licensed firearms at his house.
His arrest earlier this month followed explosive testimony at the Madlanga commission of inquiry, where he claimed to have operated as a go‑between for crime bosses and senior police officers – including suspended police deputy commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya.
His arrest earlier this month followed his testimony at the Madlanga commission of inquiry, which was marked by allegations of a double life in which he claimed to have acted as a middleman between crime bosses and high-ranking police officers — including suspended police deputy commissioner Gen Shadrack Sibiya.
The Madlanga commission is probing claims of deep-rooted corruption and mafia-style capture within policing and security structures. Nkosi’s alleged arsenal and unexplained lifestyle are now part of that broader picture.
Meanwhile, Mnisi – already under fire over his own luxury fleet – has confirmed that he met Nkosi through a mutual acquaintance in what he described as a “painful and hostile” period in his personal life.
Meanwhile, Mnisi, who testified at the commission this week, confirmed that he met Nkosi through an acquaintance. The suspended CFO is accused of assisting Nkosi’s brother in securing lucrative tenders within the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD).
Mnisi has also faced questions over his fleet of vehicles. He reportedly owns a luxury fleet that includes a Porsche Targa worth R6m, a BMW X6 M50d valued at R1.9m, two BMW
125i models, a Mercedes-Benz CLA 45, and a VW Golf 8 R.
He is also said to own at least three Tag Heuer watches, each valued at around R34,000.
Mnisi earns a net salary of R124,000.
In his evidence on Friday, Mnisi painted Nkosi as a confidant and emotional support.
In his testimony on Friday, Mnisi said he met Nkosi when he was going through a “painful and hostile” divorce and found solace in him.
He said they met through a mutual acquaintance when Nkosi arrived on a motorcycle, which caught his attention given his interest in bikes. He confirmed they had met a couple of times.
“I found Sgt Nkosi to be a good listener, and I found myself confiding in him increasingly, seeking his guidance and advice, relying on him for support in respect of the personal challenges I was facing,” Mnisi said.
“I felt that I could trust him and that he would not betray my confidence,” he said.
But WhatsApp messages before the commission suggest their relationship extended beyond emotional support into the realm of tenders and vendors.
Evidence in the form of WhatsApp chats has shown that Nkosi sent Mnisi security company names during the security bidding process, suggesting that he wanted Mnisi to help him ensure those companies were awarded the tenders.
Among the names of the companies is Ngaphesheya Construction and Projects, which Nkosi said was owned by his brother.
On Friday, the commission’s chief evidence leader, Matthew Chaskalson SC, pressed Mnisi on why Nkosi had sent him a list of bidders.
On Friday, the commission’s chief evidence leader, Matthew Chaskalson, asked the purpose of Nkosi sending him the list of bidders.
“I believe his request was premised at the time on his mistaken belief that I would be able to check if the bids were compliant; he was, of course, wrong,” Mnisi responded.
Ngaphesheya Construction and Projects – the company Nkosi linked to his brother – has, to date, been paid more than R2 million, despite allegations that it did not meet compliance requirements when the security tender was awarded.
Ngaphesheya has, to date, been paid more than R2m despite allegations that it was not compliant when the tender was awarded.
At the time, Mnisi chaired the bid adjudication committee, which had key oversight of the tender process.
Mnisi, at the time, was the chair of the bid adjudication committee, where he played an oversight role.
Explaining why Nkosi also sent him Ngaphesheya’s vendor number, Mnisi said he saw himself as assisting suppliers struggling with the City’s procurement system.
Explaining why Nkosi also sent him Ngaphesheya’s vendor number, Mnisi said that at the time several suppliers had challenges with the city’s procurement process and that he had no problem assisting them.
“I had no issue with assisting, as I assisted several other suppliers on previous occasions regarding the same concerns.”
But his evidence does little to quell concerns that a suspect in an organised crime probe was given direct access to a senior municipal official with influence over multimillion-rand tenders – and allegedly used that access to push his brother’s company.
Mnisi has been implicated in broader allegations of tender manipulation, accused of helping preferred firms irregularly secure a lucrative security contract. He was placed on suspension this week pending an internal process.
Mnisi has been implicated in allegations of tender manipulation, where he is accused of assisting preferred companies to secure a multimillion-rand tender irregularly.
He was placed on suspension this week pending the outcome of the city’s internal process.
As Nkosi returns to court to argue for his release, and Mnisi fights for his job and reputation, both men’s conspicuous lifestyles – supercars, high-end motorbikes and designer watches – now sit uneasily alongside their official incomes and the corruption allegations stalking them at the Madlanga commission.
For investigators and the public, the question is not only how they lived so large – but whether those lives were funded, at least in part, by the very criminal networks and rigged tenders the commission was set up to expose.
