Inside Cat Matlala’s R360m police tender that ‘shouldn’t have been awarded’

A R360-million police contract awarded to crime-accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s company – and that was subsequently cancelled – should never have been awarded in the first place.

This is according to Lieutenant General Molefe Fani, the South African Police Service’s (SAPS’s) divisional commissioner of supply chain management, who also acknowledged that Matlala’s criminal background was never checked before the contract was awarded.

Fani testified before Parliament’s ad hoc committee on Thursday, 20 November 2025.

It is investigating accusations that a cartel – involved in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, contract killings and tender fraud – infiltrated the country’s law enforcement and politics.

Among those at the centre of this scandal is Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who faces accusations that he is part of a cartel known as the Big Five and has had corrupt relations with people linked to policing.

‘No criminal background check’

While Matlala is presently detained on charges relating to money laundering and attempted murder, he has not been criminally charged in connection with the cartel and corruption-style accusations.

He is expected to be called as a witness before the ad hoc committee, which will sit at Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Tshwane to hear his testimony.

Last year, the SAPS awarded a company of Matlala’s, Medicare 24 Tshwane District (Pty) Ltd, a R360-million contract.

It was later cancelled.

The Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Head, Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi meets to hear evidence from, Lt Gen Fani, Divisional Commissioner for Supply Chain Management for the South SAPS #AdHocCommittee @ParliamentofRSA pic.twitter.com/RFT8FuTrai

— Justice-and-security-Cluster (@JustSecuCluster) November 20, 2025

This was largely the focus of Thursday’s ad hoc proceedings.

It saw Fani at one point conceding: ‘Based on the issues picked up… this tender should not have been awarded.”

The DA’s Ian Cameron put it to Fanie that: “You are the gateway to corruption at the moment, whether it’s wilfully or not.”

Cameron asked Fani if a criminal background check had been carried out on Matlala, who appeared to have a history involving lawbreaking, before the contract was awarded.

Fanie replied: “No, we didn’t.”

Cameron reacted incredulously:

“You want to tell me that you are a divisional commissioner, one of the highest-ranking police members in the country, and you didn't vet the sole director, someone previously accused of cash-in-transit heists, armed robbery, and the list goes on for over two and a half decades?

“And he managed to become a major supplier of services to the police?”

Matlala and Medicare 24

Earlier during Thursday’s proceedings, Fanie explained how tenders were awarded.

This process included a bid evaluation committee having to ensure that suppliers complied with criteria, “issues of tax compliance need to be taken into [account]”, and relevant documents needed to be properly completed.

The bid evaluation committee then provided a recommendation that went to a bid adjudication committee.

Fani headed the adjudication committee. This is where things turn to Matlala.

In November 2023, a tender process was initiated for police health risk management services. This involved services dealing with retirement due to ill health, wellness screenings and medical assessments before employment.

Read more: AG reveals SAPS’s escalating ‘R3.2bn’ irregular expenditure bill while unsuited bidders secure tenders

In January last year, the bid was published and closed the following month.

Fani said that Matlala’s Medicare 24 was among the 22 bids received.

In April 2024, a report recommending the company was compiled, and a couple of months later, in June, Medicare 24 was awarded the contract.

A media article, according to Fani, subsequently stated that a “fraudster” had secured the contract.

In December last year, News24 published an article about Matlala, headlined, Police award R360m contract to Tembisa Hospital tender don.

‘Red flags’

Fani testified that after the media article, the police minister at the time, Senzo Mchunu, called several officials to a meeting.

Fani and national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola were among those present.

According to Fani, Mchunu had instructed that the contract be audited internally. He was “uncomfortable” with the allegations surrounding the contract as it “may bring the organisation [SAPS] into disrepute”.

Later during Thursday’s proceedings, the MK party’s David Skosana pressed Fani on this, who repeated that Mchunu had raised concerns, which prompted Masemola to launch the probe into the contract.

Gauteng’s Tembisa Hospital came under scrutiny.

This broader scandal involves a murder – Babita Deokaran was fatally shot outside her home in August 2021, after she reported a series of fraudulent transactions at the hospital.

Read more: ‘Babita Deokaran paid for your Matlala hotel stay with her life’ — MP to Cele

Matlala’s name has also surfaced in this arena.

The Special Investigating Unit has named him as doing business with Hangwani Maumela, who it says is linked to one of several syndicates involved in R2-billion looting at the hospital.

In the ad hoc committee on Thursday, it was heard that a 2024/2025 internal audit report “observed flags and/or evidence of fronting in the bid of Medicare 24 Tshwane District”.

This report stated: “It is alleged that the Bidder committed an unethical conduct in respect of the procurement process in another organs of state, i.e. Gauteng Provincial Government at Tembisa Hospital (There were allegations of … procurement irregularities committed by the Director of Medicare24 Tshwane District prior to the evaluation of the bid).

“The [bid evaluation committee] should have taken into consideration the allegations raised in the Media about the director to inform their due diligence methodology. The due diligence did not ascertain all facts concerning the Bidder, resulting in a material control weakness.”

Fani responded to this on Thursday by saying he “would not say there was a lack of due diligence done”.

“We rely heavily on information that is recorded for us,” he said.

“For us to link [Matlala] at that time to Tembisa did not happen.”

‘Abuse and manipulation’

The audit and risk report’s findings, a focus of Thursday’s ad hoc proceedings, hinted at potential flaws in the way the SAPS awards contracts.

It said: “The evaluation process in use is extensively depend[e]nt on the use of manual documents, therefore [it] is open to abuse and manipulation.”

Fani said this was “correct”, and he was pushing for the procurement of a system to alleviate these issues.

“Until then, we are stuck with the manual process.

The audit findings also said: “The role of the facilitator in the bid evaluation committee previously exposed and is continuously exposing SAPS bidding process into corruption risks.”

Fani identified “the facilitator” as “Captain Cartwright.”

Read more: Witness C details ‘Cat’ Matlala’s claims to have bribed minister, top cops

Media articles were used during the ad hoc proceedings, and a News24 report said that Matlala made payments to one Brian Cartwright, who “had a hand in tailoring the [Medicare-awarded] specification of the tender”.

Fani said this all formed part of a forensic investigation.

He said Cartwright was in the procurement environment, performing administrative duties.

Fani made it clear that procurement processes did not detect corruption.

At another point on Thursday, he said he was not involved in the eventual scrapping of the contract: “It is my understanding that internal audit and legal worked on the cancellation”.

Fani later added that in his career of about three decades, the Matlala contract was the only one that had been cancelled, which he found to be “a serious concern”.

‘No corruption here’

During a question-and-answer session with MPs, Fani was grilled over his role in the overall Medicare 24 saga.

The DA’s Glynnis Breytenbach asked if he absolved himself.

Fani said it was his responsibility to “ensure the bid adjudication committee does its job”. He added that it had indeed done its job.

At one point, when Fani was providing a lengthy answer, Breytenbach said, “General, you are talking a lot and you are wasting time.”

The ANC’s Xola Nqola bluntly asked Fani if he “ever receive[d] a bribe from Cat Matlala.”

Fani replied: “Nope.”

The EFF’s Leigh-Ann Mathys asked him if he had ever “played any role in any corrupt activities”, even unknowingly.

Fanie said, “No.”

Next week, the committee will hear evidence from Matlala – straight from the Kgosi Mampuru prison. DM