How top cops laid ground for Matlala’s firm to secure R350m tender

Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s bid documents for a R350m SAPS contract were so poor and “unacceptable” that he should have been disqualified immediately.

However, nine SAPS managers who were part of the Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) looked away at the glaring blunders, laying the ground for Matlala’s company Medicare24 Tshwane be awarded the lucrative tender over 21 firms who were in the bid.

The charge sheet adds that nine SAPS managers who were part of the BEC avoided the glaring blunders, laying the ground for Medicare24 Tshwane be awarded the lucrative tender over 21 firms who who also tendered.

The nine BEC members are Gen Busisiwe Temba; Brig Ofentse Tlhoaele; Brig Kirsty Jonker; Brig Thembinkosi Ngema; Col Johannes Monyai; Col Anton Paulsen; Brig Petunia Lenono; Col Nonjabulo Mngadi and Brig Patrick Nethengwe.

They appeared in the Pretoria magistrate’s court on Wednesday on allegations of fraud, money laundering and corruption in connection with the tender awarded to Medicare24 Tshwane.

The state alleges that the officials misrepresented information about Matlala’s company when they handed over their report to the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) which led to Matlala ultimately securing the R350m health tender in June 2024.

According to the charge sheet, they allowed Matlala to tender when his company did not have a business address. Nor did they check his claim that his business had a presence in all provinces. They also did not verify his claim of having personnel when in reality he did not have any- a fact that would have eliminated him immediately.

Matlala also claimed to have a computer system compatible with the PERSAL system used by the state. The committee allegedly also did not verify this claim.

They, further, visited an address in Boksburg to evaluate his business rather than going to the Tshwane address stated in his application papers.

On April 12 2024, a due diligence report was compiled with several misrepresentations, read the charge sheet. “Misrepresentation that Medicare24 Tshwane’s business address was situated in Boksburg, misrepresentation that Medicare24 Tshwane had a business address in eight provinces, misrepresented that Medicare24 Tshwane had infrastructure and misrepresented that the company had personnel and mobile units across the country.”

It further states that if the members had not misrepresented the details of the company it would have resulted in the company being disqualified. “The tender did not in all respects comply with the specifications and conditions of tender as set out in the tender document,” read the document.

In the dock, the nine they were joined by BEC facilitator Cpt Brian Cartwright, senior procurement officer Tumisho Maleka and Medicare24 group director James Murray.

Maleka did not query or question the fact that all the BEC members did not sign the due diligence report before it was passed to the BAC for approval.

“By signing off and recommending that there was no irregularity in the BEC submissions Maleka misrepresented to BAC or to SAPS that the recommended bidder [Matlala] was compliant.”

Brig Rachel Matjeng, who previously told the Madlanga commission of inquiry that she was the end-user of Matlala’s contact, was also in the dock.

According to the state, Matjeng was a beneficiary of a “gratification” from Matlala, as through her line of duty she would refer SAPS members to Medicare24 Tshwane for medical assessment, which would result in a purchase order.

The state alleges that as a result, she received a gratification of R300,000 from Matlala through a company named Luxo Africa brand investment, which is accused number nine in the matter.

However, Matjeng denied the allegations when she appeared before the Madlanga commission, stating that the money she received from Matlala was a “girlfriend allowance”.

The BEC committee members were granted R40,000 bail each, while Murray, Cartwright, and Matjeng’s bail was set at R80,000.

The matter will return to court on May 13.

Sowetan