Policeman implicated in Denel dog tender to be reinstated

The eThekwini Metro Police department has been ordered to compensate and reinstate a suspended constable who was allegedly at the centre of a questionable tender for the procurement of police dogs from arms manufacturing company Denel.

Last month, the SA Local Government Bargaining Council ordered the municipality to pay Nhlanhla Makhanya R36 000 and set aside his suspension after it found that he had been unfairly suspended. However, The Mercury was reliably informed that by yesterday the city council had not implemented the order granted three weeks ago. Makhanya was first suspended in November last year at a hearing chaired by Metro Police acting deputy head Wiseman Mchunu, who temporarily suspended him so as to allow the constable a chance to make representations on why he should not be suspended.

In March this year he was again served with a suspension letter. Makhanya’s representatives argued that was unfair, saying it was unheard of that an employee could be suspended first and then asked to make submissions on why he should not be suspended. His suspension was prompted by a leaked report implicating him in the R1.2million tender for procurement of 20 police dogs from Denel. At the time sources within the police department raised concerns about the deal, saying it was suspicious as the Metro Police had in the past relied on donated dogs.

The critics said the deal was set to cost the metro police more than the R1.2m as the city council still had to pay for a 12-week training course for the dogs’ handlers which was to be conducted in Pretoria. In the leaked report, Makhanya was cited as the person who signed off on the requisition. However, Makhanya was not charged by the department, according to his shop steward Joe Mabaso, who said there was no merit to the allegations he faced. “This is just abuse of authority from the people at the helm of the Metro Police. They know they have no case against (my client), they are using this to frustrate him. If they believed that he was guilty, why did they not charge him until now?” Mabaso said.

He also questioned how a constable could be accused of signing off on a tender that big, adding that Makhanya had no powers to approve such a deal. Mabaso believes it is wrong to accuse Makhanya of causing the department to incur wasteful expenditure as “not even a single cent has been paid towards it”. When asked if the bargaining council order had been implemented, Metro Police spokesperson Parboo Sewpersad said: “We shall wait for the outcome of the review of the matter”. Sewpersad said Makhanya is directly implicated and faces a misconduct charge of a serious nature.

“Makhanya was suspended for approving and buying 20 dogs from Denel. But the Durban Metro Police did not receive the dogs. The constable also failed to co-operate with responses in this regard continuously. I believe it is irregular for a constable to approve any purchase for such a large sum,” Sewpersad said.