Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala — the embattled businessman whose name has become synonymous with controversy — has once again found himself at the center of a national storm. Matlala quietly stepped down as director of Medicare 24 just weeks after the company clinched an eye-popping R360 million police tender, a move that has raised more questions than answers.
His December 2024 resignation immediately drew public suspicion, particularly after the company was suddenly transferred to 29-year-old Claudette Masethe, a young woman with no known business background. To many, the handover seemed less like succession and more like strategy.
Matlala, who remains under investigation in connection with a kidnapping case, initially claimed that he resigned to “protect the company’s reputation” from the shadow of negative publicity. But that narrative unraveled when he later admitted to still running Medicare 24 from behind the scenes, blurring the lines between exit and influence.
Official business filings confirm Masethe as the new sole director of Medicare 24 Tshwane District. Yet her sudden rise to the helm of a multimillion-rand enterprise has stirred deep skepticism — with critics openly questioning whether she’s merely a front for Matlala, who continues to operate in the background despite his resignation.
Opposition parties and transparency advocates have seized on the case as a textbook example of state capture at the procurement level, warning that unchecked political and business collusion threatens the integrity of public contracts. How, they ask, did a company with such limited history — and a director under criminal scrutiny — manage to secure such a staggering government tender?
Civic groups have since demanded a comprehensive review of all state contracts connected to Matlala, insisting that public trust cannot survive while opaque deals continue to flourish unchecked.
As investigators dig deeper into Matlala’s tangled web of business dealings, the pressure is mounting. Was his resignation a genuine step back — or a calculated disguise to keep control while staying out of the spotlight?
One thing is certain: the saga of Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and Medicare 24 is far from over.