Before the Medicare24 police health contract became a major controversy, one investigator was already pleading with police generals to stop the deal long enough for him to investigate.
Suneel Bellochun, now suspended as a senior criminal investigator at the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac), says he first raised the alarm in April 2024 after receiving information from a confidential source that the SAPS health-risk tender was allegedly being manipulated in favour of Medicare24 Tshwane District, linked to businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
His WhatsApp exchanges with Maj-Gen Fred Kekana show weeks of pushing, and waiting for national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola to act.
On May 8, Bellochun sent Kekana an article about Matlala, procurement records and other documents.
“We are in the process of awarding a 320 million rand contract to the same individual in the article,” he wrote.
He followed with a warning: “Our investigation has led to the manipulation of procurement processes in order to favour this supplier.”
His request was simple: investigate first, award later.
But the messages show repeated waiting.
On May 10, Bellochun wrote, “Because I have been making a noise regarding this tender.”
A day later he asked Kekana, “Has there been any update from number 1?” – an apparent reference to Masemola.
Kekana replied, “No, not yet,” saying Masemola had been in Polokwane and that his office would make contact.
Bellochun kept going.
By May 21, he told Kekana the bid adjudication committee was sitting and the medical tender was part of the decision for an award that day.
A response relayed through Kekana said the bid evaluation had found nothing untoward, the cheapest supplier had been recommended and “on paper everything is in order”.
Bellochun replied, “I can’t believe this.
“This is misleading, but I think I should open a criminal case once this contract is concluded.”
Kekana answered, “Yes. I agree.”
Three days later, Bellochun was still asking for time.
“There is no need to rush if there is a suspicious allegation raised,” he wrote.
Then came his clearest plea.
“I humbly request if the national commissioner can please allow time for a proper investigation into this matter.”
Kekana suggested a time frame.
“General, if possible, a month will be sufficient to conduct preliminary investigations,” Bellochun replied.
The contract was nevertheless awarded.
Bellochun did not stop asking.
On July 9, he again asked, “Sir, is there any update from our number 1?” To which Kekana replied, “No. Not yet,” adding that he had not followed up the previous week.
Months later, on December 20, a frustrated Bellochun wrote: “Morning, Sir, I’ve been warning management about this contract; no one was prepared to listen to me.”
Kekana replied, “Yes, you did inform everyone. That’s sad.”
In a sworn affidavit signed in January 2026, Bellochun says his intention had been to get Masemola to stop the award until investigators could establish whether anyone inside SAPS was unlawfully helping Matlala. He says the response relayed to him left him “very disappointed” and that he “could not believe” there had been no intervention before the award.
The paper trail stands out at a time when Idac itself has faced intense scrutiny over the conduct of some of its investigators in other cases.
Bellochun’s exchanges show a different picture: an investigator repeatedly knocking on the door before money changed hands, asking for one month, one pause and one opportunity to probe.
By the time his warnings could no longer be ignored, the deal he had tried to stop was already done.
In his affidavit, Kekana says he repeatedly passed Bellochun’s warnings upwards to Masemola. The first response took 13 days, and after Bellochun renewed his plea on May 24, Kekana says Masemola simply never got back to him.
- Before the Medicare24 police health contract became a major controversy, one investigator was already pleading with police generals to stop the deal long enough for him to investigate.
- Suneel Bellochun, now suspended as a senior criminal investigator at the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac), says he first raised the alarm in April 2024 after receiving information from a confidential source that the SAPS health-risk tender was allegedly being manipulated in favour of Medicare24 Tshwane District, linked to businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
- His WhatsApp exchanges with Maj-Gen Fred Kekana show weeks of pushing, and waiting for national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola to act.
- On May 8, Bellochun sent Kekana an article about Matlala, procurement records and other documents.
