Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia says President Cyril Ramaphosa will “know what needs to be done”, following the upcoming court appearance of National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola over the ill-fated policing contract awarded to Medicare24 and calls for his suspension.
The president placed police minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave in 2025 shortly after KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi claimed an organised crime group had influenced him. Senior police from SAPS and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department were suspended in January this year on the basis of the Madlanga Commission’s interim report.
While there have been calls from the Democratic Alliance for Ramaphosa to suspend Masemola, he has not done so yet.
This week, the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) arrested 12 police officers implicated in the award of a R360-million police health contract to alleged crime kingpin Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s company, Medicare 24 Tshwane District.
The arrests form part of a wide-ranging investigation into allegations that a criminal cartel has infiltrated the country’s policing networks.
Masemola has been summoned to appear in court related to the matter on 21 April. It is unclear at this point what exactly the evidence or charges against him are. Masemola acknowledged “red flags” around the contract but maintained he did not receive any money from it.
Masemola, as the police’s accounting officer, appears likely to face charges related to the Public Finance Management Act for allegedly not acting quickly enough to intervene in the contract despite warnings.
Ball in Ramaphosa’s court
On Friday, 27 March 2026, Cachalia told journalists in Parliament he had briefed Ramaphosa and Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi about the unfolding situation. He’d also spoken to Masemola himself.
“I spoke with him because you know, when you’ve worked with somebody for a few months, you build a relationship… To be frank, this turn of events is also upsetting for me,” he said.
“But the fact of the matter is that accountability is what’s most important, so we'll have to see what’s going to happen.”
Cachalia is busy providing a response to Ramaphosa about the situation. He did not clarify when this would be handed over, or what recommendations he’ll make to the president.
The DA’s spokesperson on policing, Lisa Schickerling, said: “We call for Masemola to be placed on precautionary suspension, as he did with General Shadrack Sibiya, while this matter is in court.”
“Masemola’s arrest is not the first of its kind since two previous predecessors faced the same fate. This latest development strikes at the heart of public trust in the South African Police Service.”
Masemola’s deputy, Sibiya, is also on suspension, stemming from allegations that he too is associated with criminal behaviour linked to Matlala.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya would not be drawn on speculation about Masemola’s possible suspension.
“President Ramaphosa will be addressing the matter concerning General Masemola in accordance with the law,” he told Daily Maverick.
Legal and policing experts have argued that Ramaphosa is under no obligation to suspend the police commissioner while he remains innocent until proven guilty. Others claim that the apparent nature of the charges aren’t as serious as corruption charges, but the president could still take action.
Arrests are a ‘positive thing’
Daily Maverick asked Cachalia if he thought the arrests of police officers impacted communities’ trust in policing, especially as the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) were being deployed to assist police in the fight against gang violence and illegal mining.
“So one part of the crisis is that there are senior police officers who are criminals who have relationships with cartel bosses,” he said.
“So the challenge is to root out corruption, to restore integrity across the board with particularly the top leadership of the South African Police Service,” he said.
“I think we are, we are travelling that road, action is being taken.”
Cachalia spoke about the first recommendation of the Madlanga Commission, where 14 officers across law enforcement and SAPS were referred to for further investigation. In January, Ramaphosa ordered Cachalia and Masemola to establish a special investigations task team to institute investigations against people identified by the commission for investigation. Charges potentially include fraud and corruption.
The leader of that task team would report to Masemola.
“They were all immediately suspended – they are being investigated,” said Cachalia.
“I think that has created the space for Idac to do its work.”
“The arrest of officers who were apparently involved in a criminal conspiracy together with Cat Matlala, that’s a positive thing. It’s an indication that we’re beginning to take the right steps,” he continued.
“When we take these steps, when we identify rotten eggs in the system, it causes anxiety, even as it’s an indication, in fact, that the necessary kind of action is taken,” he said.
“I make the same point about the Madlanga Commission. When the Madlanga Commission was appointed, many people criticised the president. They took the view that commissions are a waste of time, that the president was just kicking the can down the road.
“What we’re seeing is that the Madlanga Commission is helping us as a society understand the depth of the problems because they are serious, they are deep, and I think it’s creating the possibility for what I’ve called a reset agenda,” Cachalia said.
“A reset agenda is by recognising exactly where we are... understanding what needs to be done and then collectively our people to get together working with their representatives, their political leadership to change the picture.”
Questions over future of the police
The acting police minister said the matter raises questions over the future of the police.
“So the question, I think, we now face is what kind of police service do we want to build in the next 10 years? We’ve had 30 years. We’ve made some progress in many areas. In other areas, we’ve made big mistakes. In other areas, we’ve fallen short.
“I think that what’s very important for society to make progress is that it must always have the ability to recognise its problems, think about them, understand what needs to be done, and then put our energies behind reform, behind change, and I have to be hopeful.” DM