Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, currently on special leave, has welcomed the arrest of 12 senior police officers in connection with the irregular R360 million Medicare24 Tshwane District contract, but insists his intervention—not the Madlanga Commission or KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi—first flagged the deal .
“The 12 senior generals are not the only ones who will be arrested. There will be more,” Mchunu told the Mail & Guardian on Wednesday .
Mchunu’s Version of Events
Mchunu said his involvement began after reading an article on 20 March 2024 about tender fraud allegations involving Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s company . He raised the issue with National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, who assured him the supply chain division had confirmed everything was above board .
Four days later, Mchunu convened a closed meeting with senior SAPS officials from supply chain management and internal audit divisions. “The meeting was led by Masemola and we received a briefing from the supply chain who said there was nothing wrong with the contract. But an internal audit, on the other hand, said there were things that were flagged during the awarding [of the contract] and that they were investigating,” he said .
Mchunu said he then instructed that no funds be released until the investigation was concluded. The contract was eventually cancelled after the investigation found it had been awarded illegally .
Arrests and Investigation
The 12 senior police officers, along with a Medicare24 director, were arrested on Tuesday by the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) . They are expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on charges of corruption, fraud, and contravening the Public Finance Management Act .
Brigadier Athlenda Mathe conceded the Matlala saga exposed serious weaknesses in SAPS’s internal controls. “This is a loophole we have identified. It is an eye-opener and we need to do better on our checks and balances,” she said . “Somewhere, somehow we dropped the ball. We can’t have someone with a huge criminal background like Matlala’s being given such a big contract” .
Matlala’s Criminal Network
The Medicare24 contract was awarded in June 2024 for medical services for SAPS personnel. At the time, the company lacked a valid operating license and had not signed a mandatory franchise agreement . The tender was later cancelled following an internal audit that confirmed significant irregularities .
According to testimony before the Madlanga Commission, Matlala cultivated influence among senior police generals through money, gifts, and other favours, helping him secure multiple lucrative SAPS contracts . It has also been revealed that Matlala’s company submitted a bid of R466 million, and that senior officials allegedly assisted him in securing the contract in exchange for kickbacks .
Mchunu became the first senior politician to be placed on special leave after Mkhwanazi alleged that the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team was intended to protect the so-called Big Five cartel, allegedly led by Matlala .
