The trial of controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and four co-accused got underway in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg on Monday, with all five accused pleading not guilty to a string of charges linked to three alleged attempted murder incidents. Matlala is standing trial alongside Tsakani Matlala, Musa Kekana, Tiego Floyd Mabusela and Zandile Nthabiseng Nzama. The five accused collectively face 25 charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of prohibited firearms and…

Alleged underworld kingpin Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has withdrawn from his plea and sentence agreement with the State in the R228 million South African Police Service Medicare24 health and wellness tender fraud case after rejecting a harsher prison sentence proposed by the court. Matlala appeared briefly in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday alongside his co accused, where the plea agreement was formally declared null and void. The matter was postponed to 11 September 2026 to allow the prosecution…

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has dismissed Brigadier Rachel Matjeng after an internal disciplinary process found her guilty of multiple counts of serious misconduct linked to her relationship with alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. Her dismissal took effect on 30 June 2026, marking one of the highest-profile disciplinary actions taken against a senior police officer implicated in the widening fallout from the controversial R228 million SAPS health services contract awarded to Medicare24. The disciplinary outcome comes as Matlala,…

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it is ready to proceed with the high-profile attempted murder trial of alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his co-accused, with proceedings set to begin on 20 July 2026 in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg. The confirmation on Tuesday follows months of delays, with the State now indicating that the legal representation of co-accused Musa Kekana has been finalised after his legal team informed prosecutors they had secured the…

Alleged underworld figure and businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has pleaded guilty to all charges against him in the controversial SAPS Medicare24 tender corruption case, marking a major development in one of South Africa’s most closely watched corruption investigations. Matlala appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on Thursday, where it emerged that he had entered into a plea and sentence agreement with the State relating to fraud, corruption and money laundering charges linked to a multimillion-rand South African…

Alleged underworld kingpin Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his co-accused will return to the Johannesburg High Court on June 17 after a pre-trial hearing on Monday focused on outstanding disclosure issues, changes to legal representation and a dispute over the collection of fingerprints linked to a separate criminal investigation. The matter forms part of the attempted murder case connected to actress and socialite Tebogo Thobejane, who survived a brazen shooting attack in Johannesburg in 2023. Matlala, who has been denied bail…

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police has welcomed the suspension of five additional senior South African Police Service (SAPS) officers linked to the controversial Medicare24 tender, describing the move as an important step towards accountability in one of the biggest corruption scandals to engulf the police service in recent years. The suspensions, announced by SAPS on Monday night, form part of ongoing investigations into the awarding of the Medicare24 contract, which has already resulted in criminal charges, arrests and disciplinary action…

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has suspended nine police officers who served on the Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) responsible for assessing bids linked to the controversial Medicare24 tender, marking the latest development in a corruption scandal that has rocked the country’s law enforcement leadership. In a brief statement issued on Friday, SAPS confirmed that the officers had been placed on suspension pending the outcome of disciplinary and related investigations. “The affected members have been placed on suspension pending the…

National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, appeared briefly in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday as the criminal case against him, linked to a controversial police tender, was postponed to 13 May 2026. Masemola faces four counts of allegedly contravening the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), stemming from the awarding of a multimillion-rand contract to Medicare 24, a company associated with alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala. The contract, valued at approximately R228 million, has been at the centre of an…

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has declined representations made by Zandile Nthabiseng Nzama, a co-accused in the high-profile attempted murder case involving Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and four others, signalling that the State is ready to proceed to trial. Nzama briefly appeared in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg this week, where her legal team confirmed plans to escalate their representations to the Office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) following the rejection by the Director…