South African prosecutors announced Wednesday they had summoned the police chief in connection with a $20 million health tender, a case that has rocked the country and involved a dozen other officers.
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has been summoned to appear in court next month, said Kaizer Kganyago, spokesman for the South African National Prosecution Service.
The case concerns a now-cancelled police tender for health services for 2024, awarded to businessman Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala, suspected of having links with organized crime.
It is not yet known what charges will be brought against Masemola, but a police spokeswoman confirmed that he will appear in court on April 21.
Fifteen people, including a dozen police officers and a director of Matlala's company, were charged on Wednesday with corruption in the awarding of this tender.
All except Matlala, who had already received 50 million rand ($2.9 million) before the contract was terminated, were released on bail.
Described locally as a "tenderpreneur," a term used to describe people who have made a fortune through government contracts, Matlala found himself in the national spotlight after a regional police chief accused law enforcement and the South African Minister of Police of engaging in criminal activities.
These allegations led to the dismissal of the minister and the establishment of an official commission of inquiry by the president, transforming this affair into a veritable national spectacle.
Broadcast daily on television and radio, the ratings have become a soap opera closely followed by South Africans.
A separate parliamentary inquiry is also examining allegations that senior officers had corrupt links with organized crime leaders and accepted money in exchange for favors.
Matlala was arrested in May of last year in connection with the attempted assassination of his ex-partner Thobejane in 2023.
His name had already been mentioned in the Tembisa hospital scandal, where more than 2.2 billion rand (129 million dollars) were allegedly embezzled.
The Tembisa hospital case claimed the life of whistleblower Babita Deokaran in 2021, when she was shot nine times outside her home.
