Senior police official Brigadier Rachel Matjeng, who admitted she had been involved in a relationship with underworld figure Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, has been dismissed from the South African Police Service.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / IOL Graphics
Senior police official Brigadier Rachel Matjeng, who admitted she had been involved in a relationship with underworld figure Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, has been dismissed from the South African Police Service.
The Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, welcomed the dismissal of Matjeng, saying that the dismissal follows the conclusion of an internal disciplinary process.
Brigadier Matjeng was found guilty on multiple counts of serious misconduct arising from her relationship with alleged underworld figure Cat Matlala.
Among the charges on which she was found guilty are:
-Accepting gratification
-Money laundering
-Improper conduct by advising Matlala against the interests of the South African Police Service
-Conduct prejudicial to the administration of the SAPS by providing Matlala with a list containing details of SAPS members with the intention of deriving a financial benefit;
-Dishonesty.
Lieutenant General Dimpane said the outcome sends a clear message that corruption, criminality and any form of collusion with criminals have no place within the South African Police Service.
Matjeng became a central figure in the explosive R360-million SAPS tender scandal after her romantic relationship with alleged underworld figure and Medicare24 director Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala came under scrutiny.
Investigators found that while Medicare24 secured the lucrative police health services contract in 2024, Matjeng allegedly received about R300,000 in kickbacks routed through a third party.
She is also accused of leaking sensitive police information and acting in Matlala's interests while serving as a senior SAPS officer.
An internal SAPS disciplinary process found her guilty of multiple counts of serious misconduct, including corruption, money laundering, dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the police service, leading to her dismissal.
She now faces fraud and corruption charges alongside Matlala in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
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