Matlala / SAPS Health Risk Management / Medicare 24 contract

Matlala was convicted of housebreaking and imprisoned for four years in 2001. This record was later central to questions about whether he should have passed the SAPS clearance certificate check.

The SAPS Health Risk Management tender was first advertised on 30 September 2016. The award to Matlala's company came nearly eight years later, raising questions about the process.

Matlala paid Brigadier Matjeng a total of R113,500 over the period June 2019 to September 2021 — before the contract was awarded. Matjeng claimed the payments were gifts from a romantic relationship or settlement of a meat debt.

Matlala and Brown Mogotsi exchanged calls and messages on 7–8 January 2022, arranging a meeting and a R111,000 payment by Matlala to a farm manager. Establishes the Matlala–Mogotsi relationship well before the tender award.

Matlala's former girlfriend was shot in October 2023; a friend was injured and left in a wheelchair. The shooting later became the stated reason for Matlala's arrest in May 2025.

Matlala met Lt-Gen Sibiya in January 2024, accompanied by his attorney, to discuss Medicare 24's access to a police college facility and problems with the contract.

SAPS awarded the Health Risk Management tender to Medicare 24 Tshwane District on 14 June 2024. Matlala was the sole director. The contract value was R360 million (R600 million allocated); R50 million was disbursed before cancellation.

Matlala attended a party at Lt-Gen Sibiya's house on 14 September 2024. Also present were Ms Matlala, Sergeant Nkosi, and General Shibiri. The gathering is referenced in WhatsApp records and multiple testimonies.

Matlala deposited R70,000 into Shibiri's account on 18 September 2024. Shibiri characterised it as a personal loan; repayments were made later.

Police raided Matlala's property on 6 December 2024 in connection with the kidnapping of Jerry Boshoga. Firearms and cellphones were seized. Matlala later claimed he had been tipped off before the raid.

Matlala filed an urgent High Court application on 17 December 2024 demanding return of 5 firearms, two iPhones, a MacBook, and a Rolex. The application was heard on 24 December, dismissed with costs for not being urgent, and subsequently withdrawn. He later admitted the MacBook and Rolex had not been seized.

Following the December raid, 18 further firearms were seized from Matlala on 19 December 2024 for ballistic testing. They were returned on 27 December 2024.

On 4 February 2025, Matlala sent proof of payment of R1,500,000 to Suleiman Kareem, as evidenced by WhatsApp records from his phone.

Over R50 million was disbursed to Medicare 24 under the ad hoc services contract before SAPS cancelled the agreement. The disbursement occurred in the March–June 2025 window.

Maj-Gen Senona accompanied Matlala to meet suspended Commissioner Mkhwanazi on 15 April 2025 to resolve contractual problems — specifically to get SAPS purchase orders issued so Medicare 24 could be paid.

On 23 April 2025, Matlala sent a loan agreement to Van Wyk in which Motsumi advanced R20 million to Medicare 24 Tshwane District, to be repaid with R100 million profit by July 2027. Tsakani Matlala signed an acknowledgement of debt.

SAPS cancelled the contract with Medicare 24 Tshwane District on 13 May 2025, citing non-performance, fronting, and irregularities identified in an internal audit and Ministerial review.

Matlala was arrested on 14 May 2025, the day after contract cancellation, on charges of attempted murder of his former girlfriend, fraud, and related offences.

Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi (SAPS Commissioner — distinct from Julius Mkhwanazi of EMPD) held a public media briefing on 6 July 2025 alleging political interference in SAPS, corruption in the Medicare 24 contract, and improper disbandment of the PKTT. This press conference was the direct trigger for the establishment of the Madlanga Commission.

Twelve SAPS officers linked to the Medicare 24 scheme were arrested in March 2026. No testimony covering this event has been ingested yet (post-Day 140).