Former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane has renewed his denial of involvement in the South African Police Service’s blue lights tender, saying he did not sign its specifications or serve on the committees responsible for the bidding process.
In an SABC News interview reported on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, Phahlane challenged prosecutors to produce evidence connecting him to the 2016 emergency warning equipment contract.
His comments follow Monday’s provisional withdrawal of the case against him and his co-accused by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, known as IDAC. The directorate says it intends to examine aspects of the matter before seeking to bring it back to court.
What Phahlane said in his latest denial
Phahlane disputed the suggestion that he had signed specifications for a national contract to supply police blue lights. He also said he did not sit on the bid adjudication, bid evaluation or bid specification committees.
“Never did I sign a specification because I’m not a participant there,” he told SABC News.
He maintained that the fraud and corruption allegations against him were fabricated. That is his account; the withdrawal announcement does not establish that prosecutors fabricated the case.
The specific issue raised in Tuesday’s interview is his claimed absence from the tender paperwork and committees. It adds detail to his rejection of the allegations, rather than announcing a new court decision.
Why IDAC withdrew the case
IDAC spokesperson Henry Mamothame said acting investigating director Advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara decided to provisionally withdraw the matter so he could examine certain aspects before its re-enrolment, according to eNCA’s report on Monday.
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Phahlane denies signing blue lights tender papers as case is withdrawn
Oct 6, 2026
Oct 6, 2026
4 min read
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Former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane has renewed his denial of involvement in the South African Police Service’s blue lights tender, saying he did not sign its specifications or serve on the committees responsible for the bidding process.
In an SABC News interview reported on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, Phahlane challenged prosecutors to produce evidence connecting him to the 2016 emergency warning equipment contract.
His comments follow Monday’s provisional withdrawal of the case against him and his co-accused by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, known as IDAC. The directorate says it intends to examine aspects of the matter before seeking to bring it back to court.
What Phahlane said in his latest denial
Phahlane disputed the suggestion that he had signed specifications for a national contract to supply police blue lights. He also said he did not sit on the bid adjudication, bid evaluation or bid specification committees.
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“Never did I sign a specification because I’m not a participant there,” he told SABC News.
He maintained that the fraud and corruption allegations against him were fabricated. That is his account; the withdrawal announcement does not establish that prosecutors fabricated the case.
The specific issue raised in Tuesday’s interview is his claimed absence from the tender paperwork and committees. It adds detail to his rejection of the allegations, rather than announcing a new court decision.
Why IDAC withdrew the case
IDAC spokesperson Henry Mamothame said acting investigating director Advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara decided to provisionally withdraw the matter so he could examine certain aspects before its re-enrolment, according to eNCA’s report on Monday.
The directorate also said an earlier review panel had found that the matter was properly authorised and within IDAC’s mandate. That finding concerns the authority to investigate and prosecute; it does not decide whether any accused person is guilty.
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The Citizen reported that the provisional withdrawal took place in the Palm Ridge Specialised Crimes Court. The accused had previously asked for the matter to be struck from the roll, but that application was dismissed.
What the blue lights case concerns
The case relates to a 2016 SAPS contract for emergency warning equipment valued at just over R191 million. It is commonly described as the police blue lights tender case.
According to TimesLIVE’s account of IDAC’s announcement, the prosecution involved allegations of corruption, fraud, theft and money laundering. The contract was awarded to Instrumentation for Traffic Law Enforcement, which received about R65 million.
IDAC said investigators prevented a further R22 million payment. Those figures describe the contract and payments identified by the directorate; they should not be read as a finding that Phahlane personally received the money.
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The allegations have not been established as convictions in the reports of this withdrawal, and the accused remain entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Has Phahlane been acquitted?
The development reported on Monday was a provisional withdrawal, not an acquittal. IDAC has expressly left open a return to court after further consideration of the case.
IOL reported that the directorate had not announced a date for re-enrolment. The next development to watch is whether prosecutors return the matter to court and what they say about the aspects under review.
For now, Phahlane’s latest denial and IDAC’s procedural decision are separate developments: he disputes his involvement, while prosecutors say their withdrawal is temporary pending further examination.
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