Nabbed: The 12 senior police officers appearing in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court. Photo: Kamogelo Moichela

Public scrutiny into criminality and corruption in the justice system took a dramatic turn this week when the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) arrested 12 police officials who allegedly colluded in the procurement of a R360 million police healthcare contract. 

South African Police Service (SAPS) procurement officer Tumishang Maleka, along with high-ranking officers, ranging from brigadiers to captains, appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on charges of irregularly awarding a contract to businessperson and alleged leader of the Big Five cartel Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. 

Security analyst Chad Thomas told the Mail and Guardian that Matlala’s influence in the SAPS was widespread, with reported contracts in Ekurhuleni, the SAPS headquarters and Tshwane. His security company, Cat VIP Protection, had allegedly signed an illegal memorandum of understanding with the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan police department where private vehicles were fitted with blue lights reserved for law enforcement. 

SAPS head of Organised Crime Richard Shibiri has confessed to receiving money from Matlala and stands accused of doctoring a case docket implicating him in a whistleblower assassination case. 

KwaZulu-Natal head of the Hawks Lesetja Senona has been implicated in exchanging favours with Matlala. Matlala has also been implicated in Tshwane — for the Medicare24 contract —and for allegedly looting Tembisa Hospital. 

“It seems Matlala’s tentacles are spread out in respect to other tenders,” said Thomas. “We know his wife also has a contract in Ekurhuleni. They were searching for tenders everywhere.” 

Matlala and his 12 SAPS accomplices allegedly conspired with two other entities, pocketing R50m from the Medicare24 contract before it was cancelled in July 2024.

They were granted bail of between R40 000 and R80 000, with the State pointing out bid evaluation facilitator Captain Brian Cartwright as a key instigator. Matlala remains in custody on separate charges of attempted murder.

North West businessperson Suliman Carrim told the Madlanga commission that he loaned Matlala R10m to service the contract but received only R1.7m payment. 

He said Matlala, along with businessperson and police informant Brown Mogotsi had swindled him out of R8.4m and he never received the extra R10m profit. 

Matlala’s SAPS accomplices — Cartwright, Rachel Matjeng, Brian Neville, Busisiwe Temba, Kirsty Jonker, Petunia Lenona, Patrick Nthengwe, Onica Tlhoale, Nonjabulo Mngadi, Anton Paulsen and Johannes Monyai — are due to return to court on 6 May.

“This matter again highlights how tender processes in government, including law enforcement, are compromised through government officials who are prepared to compromise themselves and their institutions just to make money
on the side or to pay back favours,” Idac said.

Thomas said junior officers were captured by senior officials who fought for positions to control contracts, adding: “A fish rots from
the top”. 

“When junior members of the SAPS see senior officials not interested in their constitutional mandate but rather enriching themselves, this creates a very despondent and demoralised police force,” he said. 

Matjeng is the most well-known and controversial of the group, having appeared at the Madlanga Commission and conceding to a romantic relationship with Matlala and accepting various monetary gifts.

She has denied wrongdoing and said that when she met Matlala he had not been charged.

Idac said there were several irregularities during the award of the contract and collusion between members of the police’s bid evaluation committee and Matlala. 

Matlala’s Medicare24 company was awarded the R360m contract by presenting the lowest bid during the tender process, which was approved by the evaluation committee, even though the company had no facilities, equipment or staff to fulfil
the contract. 

“Matlala received a payment of just over R50m before the unlawful contract was cancelled by the SAPS,” said Idac. “Some of the accused also benefitted financially …by money received from Matlala which they were not entitled to.” 

National police commissioner Fannie Masemola has been added to the group with a summons by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to answer questions about his involvement in the illegal contract. 

Masemola previously told the ad hoc committee that he had not been involved in the approval and that once he became aware of the irregularity, he had cancelled it. 

On Wednesday, suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu told the M&G that he had alerted Masemola to the contract, which had led the police commissioner to cancel it in July 2024. 

Mchunu said the arrests of Matlala and his accomplices put paid to the allegations against him of collusion with cartels as alleged by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi during his 6 July bombshell media briefing. 

“I was correct in directing the national commissioner to review and cancel the contract,” Mchunu said. “The investigation and subsequent cancellation process started way back in 2024. The 12 senior generals are not the only ones who will be arrested. There will be more.”

In a statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa noted Masemola’s summons and said he would be addressing the matter in accordance with the law. 

The state sought to hold Masemola accountable as “the apex head of the SAPS” who “did not have proper control of his own officers”, said Thomas.

Speaking to Newzroom AfriKa, acting police minister Firoz Cachalia said Masemola was not charged with corruption but rather negligence as the SAPS accounting officer. 

“The national commissioner has been charged as the accounting officer of the SAPS with various breaches to the Public Finance Management Act,” he said. 

Cachalia highlighted Matlala’s influence in the SAPS and said testimony from the Madlanga commission, where senior police officers confessed to being in a relationship with Matlala and Sergeant Fannie Nkosi, admitting to be in possession of Matlala’s credit card was “shocking” and “worrying”. 

NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the state was ready to proceed with the case against Matlala and the 12 officers.