SAPS Brigadier Matjeng speaks out on contract cancellation and her relationship with Matlala

SAPS quality management head, Brigadier Rachel Matjeng, told the Madlanga Commission on Friday that she was sad on hearing that her employer had cancelled the contract with Vusumuzi “Cat” Matlala, whom she referred to as her lover.

She said her sadness was because the SAPS had lost a valuable contract worth R360 million that was assisting police officers with medical treatment.

“I was sad because that means we are going to struggle with medical surveillance in that environment. 

“It would affect us and is affecting us now as we speak,” said Matjeng.  

This was despite the fact that in the letter of the termination of the contract, it was stated that Matlala’s Medicare24 Tshwane District had underperformed. 

The termination letter from National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, which evidence leader Thabang Pooe read for the record, stated that Medicare24 misrepresented its directors and fronted without disclosure.

It also stated that the company misrepresented franchisees and relationships, false representation of personnel and authority, irregularities in bidding documents, employment of unauthorised personnel, continued poor performance, and that Matlala was facing pending criminal charges.

“I am not sure if you can look at this and then feel sad for the employer for the contract that has so many issues,” said Pooe.

When Pooe asked Matjeng to comment, she said she was putting her in a difficult position.

“Because my comment will be putting my job at risk. I am already… I don’t want to comment,” she said. 

Matjeng, a section head of Quality Management in Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management at the Forensic Services Division in Pretoria, is already in trouble with the law.

In its interim report handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa in Decem­ber, the commission listed Matjeng as among five senior police managers with prima facie evidence of wrongdoing against them, who were recommended for criminal investigation. 

They would be investigated by a special investigations task team to be established by Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia and Masemola. 

Pooe expressed doubts that there was a love relationship between Matjeng and Matlala, meaning that she used the “on-and-off relationship” claim to disguise monies that Matlala gave her as gifts from a boyfriend instead of kickback. 

It is alleged that in return for receiving money from Matlala, Matjeng disclosed SAPS internal information and names of senior police officers to Matlala.

Such information would include a document containing more than 300 police officers who did not attend medical inspection, which Matlala wanted to claim money for despite having not treated them.  

Matjeng said she assisted Matlala with information in order to discourage him from claiming for services, which were never rendered. She said her intention was to save the SAPS from irregular expenditure.

When it was put to her that she and Matlala were never in a romantic relationship, she vehemently insisted that they were.

“Me and Mr Matlala were in a relationship and I am requesting the commission to do a further investigation to check if we were indeed in a relationship. 

“But we were definitely in a relationship.” 

She said she requested money from Matlala, which she said she never received, because of this relationship. 

“The communication and documents that were being shared were not to advance Mr Matlala. 

“If you check some of them, it would have disadvantaged him in terms of the claims and also moving accounts from members (police officers) to Medicare,” she said.

Pooe said Matjeng has failed to provide proof in her witness statement that she was in a relationship with Matlala.

“I do agree, but I thought I gave enough evidence to prove that me and Mr Matlala were in a relationship.

“Furthermore I would say whoever alleges must prove it; as from my side, I have proven to the commission because it is alleging that I did not have the relationship with Matlala, then you need to prove it (that there was no relationship),” she said.

She said this relationship was proven through WhatsApp messages provided by the commission after being downloaded from Matlala’s cellphone.

She stated that even the money that Matlala gave her in the past was proof of the romantic relationship. 

Even that romantic relationship was described a conflict of interest because instead of following the normal channels to invoice the SAPS, which was through submitted invoices and other relevant documents to the SAPS finance department, Matlala would go to her and she would assist him to cut corners in making claims. 

Meanwhile, the commission had to postpone the appearance of ANC businessman Suliman Currim, who claimed through his lawyers on Friday that he was not ready to answer questions.

He claimed he had not read the commission’s allegations against him, which he had to answer, because they were presented to him at short notice.

It was alleged that Carrim was implicated as having been the link between Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Matlala.  

It was alleged that Carrim received R1.5 million from Matlala, who had been dubbed an underworld criminal operative and a central figure in allegations of corruption among senior police officers, which is being investigated by the commission and Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee.

Carrim came to the commission under duress after the Gauteng Division of the High Court had this week turned down his application seeking an interdict against being summoned to testify. 

He would now return to the commission on March 9 and 10.

bongani.hans@inl.co.za