Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala's appeal for bail was denied in High Court. Image credit: Nomsa Diallo.
Parliament’s ad hoc committee on police corruption was stunned by a revelation. Investigators confirmed that Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala secured a lease on the SAPS medical facility in early 2023. This happened well before the official awarding of the R360 million massive contract.
The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDA) is now probing. They are investigating whether this early access gave Matlala an unfair advantage. This pertains to the tender process.
The lease allowed Matlala’s company to operate from within SAPS premises. This situation has raised serious concerns about transparency. It also questions the due process involved.
SAPS Clinic.
The Department of Public Works had already spent R46 million renovating the space. Matlala paid R40,000 a month for the premises, which he secured with a company profile that listed him as “president” of the Medicare24 Group—a conglomerate he did not own.
The Department of Public Works signed off on the lease two weeks after Matlala did. Now, officials are investigating how he obtained the agreement and whether internal controls failed.
Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson has ordered a full review of the lease documentation and flagged possible procedural lapses.
Just weeks after Matlala secured the clinic, SAPS published tender 19/1/9/1/94TP (23). It is a three-year contract to provide healthcare services to 180,000 police officers and staff.
The deal was worth R360 million, with R600 million allocated in the budget. Matlala’s company won the tender, beating out established JSE-listed insurers.
R360 Million Tender Under Scrutiny
According to EWN, the R360 million contract, awarded to one of Matlala’s companies for police healthcare services, was later cancelled by then-Police Minister Senzo Mchunu after irregularities surfaced.
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola testified before the Madlanga Commission that Mchunu ordered a full investigation into the deal.
IDAC head Advocate Andrea Johnson told Parliament that her team is investigating the tender. They are also looking into the deletion of key data from Matlala’s phones. This occurred before investigators were capable of accessing them.
She also confirmed that several politicians are implicated. She declined to name them pending the outcome of the inquiry.
Johnson added that several officials within SAPS’s supply chain management are under investigation. This is for their roles in the awarding of the contract.
This revelation came from a recent testimony at the commission of inquiry. It linked senior police officials to Matlala. The testimony alleged that Matlala financed them to shield himself from scrutiny over a questionable R360 million police healthcare tender.
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