By Johnathan Paoli
The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) head of procurement, Lieutenant-General Molefe Fani, on Thursday conceded that the multimillion-rand medical services tender awarded to Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s company, Medicare24 Tshwane District, contained serious irregularities and should never have been approved.
His admission came during a combative afternoon session of the ad hoc parliamentary committee probing corruption in SAPS procurement.
The exchanges began shortly after lunch when evidence leader Lerato Zikalala confronted Fani with the police’s final internal audit report, which found evidence of fronting in Medicare24’s bid.
Fani repeatedly distanced himself from the audit team’s conclusions, saying he could not vouch for any of the internal audit’s statements, but ultimately conceded that several mandatory requirements had not been met.
One of the clearest violations, Fani confirmed, was that Medicare24 failed to provide a signed lease agreement for the premises from which it claimed to operate, despite this being a compulsory requirement.
Zikalala pressed further, pointing to a tampered pricing schedule submitted by the company.
Fani again acknowledged the audit finding but insisted the procurement system did not allow the bid adjudication committee to disqualify bidders on information outside the tender documents, though he admitted that, had the committee known about the issue with Matlala, they would have sought legal guidance to exclude him.
Zikalala countered that SAPS’ due-diligence processes failed to pick up Matlala’s link to procurement scandals at Tembisa Hospital, information that was well-publicised.
Fani disagreed, saying the Central Supplier Database report listed only “Vusimusi Matlala” and did not connect him to Tembisa.
“We did not link him to that hospital,” he said.
The evidence leader cited a News24 investigation showing that Matlala had rented SAPS medical clinic premises six months before winning the R360-million tender, allegedly funnelling money to the tender facilitator, a “Captain Cartwright”.
Fani refused to comment on the media report but confirmed a forensic investigation was under way.
He said Cartwright had since been removed from all procurement roles.
When Zikalala asked whether he accepted that the tender was irregularly awarded, Fani reluctantly said yes, but refused to concede that the bid adjudication committee he chaired had been deficient.
Instead, he blamed inefficiencies within the evaluation committee and insisted procurement processes cannot detect corruption, only ensure transparency.
The session intensified when MPs took over.
uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) MP David Skosana opened by asking whether SAPS procurement processes had been varied for the tender.
Fani denied this but admitted the tender was advertised for too short a period, calling it an administrative error.
Skosana queried why no one had been suspended or arrested, with Fani responding that he could not comment.
Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Glynnis Breytenbach expressed disbelief that a lieutenant-general responsible for safeguarding public funds repeatedly used phrases such as “I assume”.
She demanded to know who bore responsibility for the mess that is this tender.
Fani insisted accountability would be established by the forensic probe.
Despite agreeing that irregular expenditure had soared and that Medicare24 failed some mandatory requirements, Fani maintained there had been value for money, a claim that infuriated several MPs.
ANC MP Xola Nqola pushed Fani on due diligence and credibility, leading to another startling admission: Fani could not vouch for the credibility of the officials he appointed to the evaluation committee.
DA MP Ian Cameron was direct: “General, stop dancing”.
He accused Fani of allowing a criminal into the police by failing to ensure background checks on Matlala, who has a criminal record for theft.
Fani said SAPS procurement processes did not require such security vetting.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Leigh-Ann Mathys questioned why Fani had not detected anything amiss despite extensive media reporting.
Fani insisted the adjudication committee had been misled by a report claiming all due diligence had been completed.
Throughout the exchanges, Fani repeatedly insisted he was not distancing himself from the tender award but said the investigation would determine who must be held accountable.
Several MPs openly challenged this, with MKP MP Vusi Shongwe bluntly asking: “Why shouldn’t your head be chopped?”
The day ended with ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli suggesting that a SAPS official’s move to work for Matlala’s company appears questionable and signals a red flag.
Committee chair Soviet Lekganyane adjourned the meeting, noting that the inquiry will continue next week Tuesday, with the committee to hear the testimony of Matlala in Kgosi Mampuru II prison.
INSIDE POLITICS
Source: https://insidepolitic.co.za/saps-procurement-chief-admits-matlala-tender-was-irregular/
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