Suspended national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola wanted the R360-million Medicare24 health contract stopped after being warned of possible corruption, yet the deal survived and was awarded weeks later, despite repeated pleas for an investigation.
A tranche of affidavits that Sunday World has seen reveals that Masemola initially took the warning seriously enough to recommend stopping the award.
But after being told everything appeared proper “on paper”, the process continued.
The trail began with suspended senior Idac investigator Suneel Bellochun, who approached Maj-Gen Fred Kekana about the tender.
On May 8, 2024, Bellochun sent Kekana company records, procurement documents and information concerning Medicare24 Tshwane District, linked to businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Bellochun wanted an investigation into the affairs of Medicare24 before the Bid Adjudication Committee approved the award.
“I forwarded the messages to national commissioner Gen Masemola for his intervention,” Kekana states.
Thirteen days later, Masemola called Maj-Gen Senobea Julie Hankins.
Hankins says Masemola told her he had received information that the contract was about to be awarded to a person allegedly linked to the murder of Tembisa Hospital whistleblower Babita Deokaran.
Hankins says Masemola instructed her to establish the status of the award quietly, “without raising the alarm”. When Hankins returned to her office, she discovered that the submission was already before the committee that day.
She approached Bid Evaluation Committee chair Brig AT Ngema, who told her the evaluation had followed the prescribed process and he had found no obvious evidence of criminal activity.
Hankins sent Masemola the feedback on May 21, but “did not receive any response from the national commissioner,” she states, and they never discussed it again.
Another affidavit raises questions about the due diligence behind the assurances.
Cpt Ramasela Flora Matjeke, who attended Medicare24’s April assessment, says, “There was no physical inspection done… Everything was just a presentation prepared by Medicare 24.”
The contract nevertheless went ahead.
Maj-Gen Liesbeth Matobako says SAPS ultimately paid Medicare24 R48.65-million during 2024/25 – later declared irregular expenditure, and another R1.66-million thereafter. Another R862,128.72 invoice was frozen after the contract was terminated.
Hankins says she had expected Masemola to intervene and prevent the award “by any means necessary”.
- Suspended national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola initially sought to stop the R360-million Medicare24 health contract after warnings of possible corruption.
- Despite Masemola's concerns and instructions to investigate quietly, the contract award process continued and the deal was approved.
- Masemola was informed that the contract was linked to a person allegedly connected to the murder of whistleblower Babita Deokaran.
- No physical inspection of Medicare24 was conducted during the assessment, relying only on presentations by Medicare24.
- SAPS paid Medicare24 R48.65-million during 2024/25, later declared irregular expenditure, and froze an additional R862,128.72 invoice after contract termination.
