The state has laid bare a brazen blueprint of alleged manipulation inside SAPS procurement, telling the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court that Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s company pocketed more than R50-million from police coffers despite what prosecutors describe as a trail of misrepresentations that should have disqualified it from the outset.
In a detailed statement presented in court, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) claims that Matlala’s company, Medicare 24 Tshwane District, won the contract through a planned effort that involved members of the bid evaluation committee (BEC), including high-ranking officials like five brigadiers, a major general, and several colonels.
The senior officers were among 15 suspects arrested on Tuesday and processed at the Silverton police station in what investigators believe was a tightly woven network designed to steer the tender outcome.
According to the state, the process began on January 31, 2024, when SAPS advertised the tender, with a closing date of February 19. Matlala, through his company, submitted a bid on February 13, assisted by James George Murray and Brian Neville Cartwright.
But the NPA says the bid documents contained a critical declaration that no consultations or agreements had taken place between the bidder and any SAPS official before or during the process, a condition the state alleges was breached.
Prosecutors claim Matlala had prior and ongoing communications and arrangements with Cartwright, a senior SAPS official who later served as facilitator of the BEC, a role he allegedly should have declined due to a conflict of interest.
“The accused was well acquainted and knew accused number 1 [Matlala]. He should have declined his appointment as facilitator due to the conflict of interest,” the affidavit states.
Series of misrepresentations
The state further alleges that the bid itself was built on a series of misrepresentations that painted a picture of a company far more capable than it was in reality.
Among them, prosecutors say Matlala’s company submitted an incorrect Gauteng business address, claimed to have operational addresses in eight provinces using false details, misrepresented having a computerised system compatible with SAPS payment systems, and claimed nationwide infrastructure and personnel that did not exist.
Despite these alleged red flags, the BEC proceeded to recommend the bid.
In April 2024, committee members conducted a due diligence visit, not at the listed premises of Medicare 24 Tshwane District but at a separate entity, Medicare 24 Holdings, in Boksburg.
A report compiled on April 12 by the same officials allegedly reinforced the misrepresentations.
“The BEC members misrepresented that Medicare 24 Tshwane District had mobile units in all nine provinces and complied with the specifications of the tender,” reads the affidavit.
“Based on the misrepresentations of the BEC, Medicare 24 Tshwane District should have been disqualified.”
Instead, the process advanced.
On June 14, 2024, the bid adjudication committee approved the appointment of Medicare 24 Tshwane District at a value of R288.6-million. The state says the consequences were immediate.
“After the award of the contract, SAPS paid an amount of R50 310 590.68 to Medicare Tshwane, resulting in actual prejudice suffered by SAPS, the National Treasury and the broader public,” the NPA alleges.
Money-laundering channels
The payments were allegedly made through 199 transactions into an FNB account managed by Matlala.
The affidavit further claims that the flow of money was sustained through internal facilitation, with a forensic official allegedly recommending police officers for screening, triggering purchase orders that enabled invoices to be issued.
To grease the wheels, the state alleges, the official received gratification amounting to R300 000, paid through various money-laundering channels.
As the case unfolds, the court is being asked to examine not just a tender gone wrong but an alleged system where rank met revenue and where those tasked with safeguarding public funds are accused of scripting their siphoning.
In this theatre of uniform and money, the affidavit sketches a stark proposition that compliance was not compromised by accident but carefully constructed, clause by clause, until fiction could pass for fact and payment could follow.
