The long-awaited establishment of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipal Police has hit a significant roadblock, with President Cyril Ramaphosa authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe nine tenders linked to the controversial project. The move signals mounting concerns over governance and financial probity in the Free State capital, where questions have swirled for months about how public funds were being spent to set up the new law enforcement agency.
Signed under Proclamation 329 of 2026, the presidential authorisation grants the SIU sweeping powers to investigate serious maladministration within the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality. At the heart of the probe are nine specific contracts connected to the establishment and operationalisation of the municipal police service, including allegations of inflated costs and overpayments made to suppliers. Sources close to the investigation suggest that some of the tenders may have been awarded without proper due diligence, raising the spectre of irregular expenditure and possible corruption.
The municipal police force was intended to be a flagship project for the metro, aimed at bolstering local law enforcement and improving safety in the city centre and surrounding townships. However, delays, cost overruns, and now this high-level investigation have cast a pall over its rollout. Residents and civic organisations have expressed frustration, arguing that the money could have been better spent on critical service delivery priorities such as water, electricity, and housing.
The SIU has confirmed that its investigation will scrutinise every stage of the procurement process, from tendering to final payments. While no officials have been named or charged, the proclamation empowers the unit to recover any funds found to have been unlawfully expended. For Mangaung, the probe represents both a reckoning and an opportunity—a chance to clean house before the municipal police can even begin their first patrol.
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