Twelve individuals—most of them police officers—appeared before a court in Pretoria following their arrest in the capital.
The group was detained in connection with a R360 million police tender awarded to Medicare 24, a company owned by alleged criminal mastermind Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala. The contract has since been cancelled.
In a statement, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed the arrests:
“The NPA’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption has arrested 12 senior police officers and a company director in relation to the irregular awarding of a tender to Medicare 24.”
An employee of Medicare 24 is also among the accused, who are facing multiple charges, including fraud and corruption. Authorities have agreed to grant bail of R80,000 to all accused individuals, with the exception of Matlala, who remains in custody in connection with the alleged attempted murder of his former girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane.
“All accused are expected to make their first appearance before the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on charges of corruption, fraud, and contravention of the PFMA,” Kganyago added.
In a further development, two companies linked to Matlala have now been added to the list of accused entities in the case.
The arrests come amid mounting public outrage, as increasingly damaging evidence emerges before the Madlanga Commission and a parliamentary ad hoc committee. Both bodies were established to investigate allegations of political interference and the infiltration of the criminal justice system by criminal networks.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has already arrested several individuals, including law enforcement officers, in connection with a 2022 murder in Brakpan. Meanwhile, Matlala remains in custody on separate charges related to the attempted murder case.