The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has adjourned the high-profile R228-million Medicare24 tender case to 13 July for further discussions on sentencing businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
The court on Wednesday rejected a proposed plea and sentencing agreement between the State and defence, which recommended an eight-year direct imprisonment term, describing it as too lenient for the severity of the offences.
Instead, the court indicated that a harsher sentence of 12 years would be more appropriate.
Matlala has pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, corruption, and money laundering linked to the multimillion-rand tender scandal. Although he entered into a plea deal with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the court intervened, stating that it was not bound by the agreement and that the proposed punishment did not reflect the seriousness of the crimes.
His legal team reportedly consulted with him following the court’s position but did not accept the suggested 12-year sentence.
The matter will return to court later this month for final agreement on sentencing.