A senior South African Police Service official, Divisional Commissioner Molefe Fani, has conceded before a parliamentary committee that a 360 million rand medical services tender awarded to businessman Vusimuzi Matlala’s company, Medicare24, should have been disqualified. Fani, the head of police procurement, testified that the bid contained altered documents, which were grounds for automatic disqualification.
He further admitted that no criminal background check was conducted on Matlala, who has previous convictions and faces pending charges. Fani also acknowledged that the advertising period for the tender was improperly shortened. The contract was ultimately cancelled following an internal audit that identified these and other compliance issues. The admission occurred during an inquiry examining corruption allegations within police procurement processes.
He further admitted that no criminal background check was conducted on Matlala, who has previous convictions and faces pending charges. Fani also acknowledged that the advertising period for the tender was improperly shortened. The contract was ultimately cancelled following an internal audit that identified these and other compliance issues. The admission occurred during an inquiry examining corruption allegations within police procurement processes.
