7 SAPS Officers Cleared of Misconduct in R228m Medicare24 Tshwane Bid Committee Case
- Seven suspended SAPS officers who served on the Medicare24 Tshwane District Bid Evaluation Committee faced misconduct charges
- The R228-million SAPS contract was linked to alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala and raised serious procurement concerns
- The outcome coincides with a separate internal disciplinary process involving SAPS Head of Supply Chain Management Molefe Fani
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SOUTH AFRICA — Seven South African Police Service officers who sat on the Tshwane District Bid Evaluation Committee at the centre of the Medicare24 procurement controversy have been found not guilty of misconduct following an internal departmental disciplinary process. The same case saw 12 senior officers arrested in connection with the tender.
According to eNCA, the officers, who had been suspended pending the outcome of the hearings, were accused of facilitating the award of a R228-million SAPS contract to Medicare24, a company reportedly linked to alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala. With the charges dismissed, all seven have been cleared to return to active duty.
One officer receives salary penalty
While the seven committee members were acquitted of misconduct, a separate officer who served in a contract management capacity during the process was not fully exonerated. An internal investigation found that his niece was employed by Medicare24, a conflict of interest that resulted in a one-month salary deduction as a disciplinary penalty.
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Fani acquitted but faces new suspension notice
The committee's findings emerge alongside developments involving senior SAPS leadership. Molefe Fani, the SAPS Head of Supply Chain Management, was similarly acquitted last week in a separate internal disciplinary hearing. However, Fani was subsequently served with a new notice of intention to suspend him in connection with unrelated allegations, meaning his situation within the organisation remains unresolved.
The Medicare24 contract has attracted sustained scrutiny due to its scale and the individuals associated with the company. The internal proceedings represent the police service's formal institutional response to the procurement concerns that led to the original suspensions.
Cat Matlala withdraws plea agreement
In a related article, Briefly News reported on Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala's decision to withdraw his plea agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority regarding the R228 million Medicare24 case. This move comes after the court deemed the initial sentencing proposal too lenient for his alleged central role in a significant corruption scheme.
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Source: Briefly News
