Thread by @wicks_jeff

@News24 has followed the R360m SAPS tender saga involving Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala for months. A cloud of corruption, fraud and blood envelops the highest levels of SA policing. This is #9Lives - our investigation into the man who lived large - Until now 🧵

https://twitter.com/wicks_jeff/status/1940255728297537563

Matlala’s company, Medicare24 Tswane District, won the police tender in June 2024. Internal audits found “fronting”, doctored documents and outright fraud. Yet the money kept flowing. R30m was paid AFTER SAPS brass was warned of problems.

Who is “Cat” Matlala? A connected tenderpreneur with a taste for luxury. Designer clothes, mansions, supercars. All while his company faced liquidation and staff went unpaid. He was paid R50m in total by SAPS.

news24.com/investigations…

Tsakani Matlala, nee Baloyi, also lived the high life, bankrolled by her husband.

Before his SAPS windfall, Matlala had been flagged by whistleblower Babita Deokaran. She identified his shell companies receiving suspicious payments from Tembisa Hospital. Weeks later, she was assassinated. Her work sits at the heart of a R2.3b fraud investigation.

The SAPS tender stinks. The bid evaluation committee lacked expertise, and key scorecards are missing. Matlala’s company couldn’t deliver basic services, but the money kept flowing.

Even more suspicious: Police Brigadier Petunia Lenono, who evaluated Matlala’s bid, resigned from SAPS, then emerged as a “consultant” for Medicare24. A clear conflict of interest and breach of tender terms.

While internal audits found 100% non-compliance in key areas, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola sat on recommendations to cancel the contract. Medicare24 continued receiving millions despite multiple red flags.

Our investigation found millions diverted from the tender to fund Matlala’s extravagant lifestyle: cosmetic surgery trips for his wife, flashy cars, designer suits, all while subcontractors and staff went unpaid for months.

Matlala didn’t just have obvious connections within the SAPS. We uncovered disturbing ties the underworld. This is where the #9Lives investigation takes an even darker turn.

news24.com/investigations…

After a fallout with actress Tebogo Thobejane, police allege Matlala paid hitmen R120,000 for her assassination. The October 2023 hit failed. But it opened a window into a web connecting state procurement to violent crime.

What connects Babita Deokaran’s murder and Matlala? She flagged his companies just weeks before her assassination. Three shell companies linked to him received nearly R5m in a single month from Tembisa Hospital, part of the fraud she was exposing.

specialprojects.news24.com/silenced/index…

After our reporting began, the walls finally closed in. SAPS cancelled the R360m tender. The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) launched a probe. But not before R50mil of taxpayer money disappeared into Matlala’s empire.

news24.com/investigations…

Instagram showed the Matlala family flaunting their wealth. His wife in R33,000 Christian Dior blouses. R95,000 designer handbags. Their daughter was carrying a R22,500 Louis Vuitton bag. All while Medicare24 struggled to pay basic bills.

Our #9Lives investigation continues. Whistleblowers remain in danger. This project reveals the reach of one tenderpreneur. But Matlala’s case shows what journalism can expose when we keep digging. Stay with @News24 as we follow this trail to the end.