The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has revealed ties between Medicare24 and Vhazwimi Security Services. Pictured are Madlanga commissioners Advocate Sesi Baloyi SC, Chairperson, retired Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, and Advocate Sandile Khumalo SC.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
Vhazwimi Security & Protection Services boss, Steven Motsumi, was set to benefit from the cars registered by Medicare24 as part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) fleet, according to evidence heard at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
This was revealed recently when evidence was presented against Mike van Wyk, the CEO of Medicare24 Holdings, at the Madlanga Commission. The evidence was led in Van Wyk’s absence after his lawyer, Sandy du Plessis, said her client had been hospitalised following panic attacks and a psychiatric consultation.
The Commission’s Evidence leader, Advocate Matthew Chaskalson SC, read WhatsApp texts and letters exchanged between tenderpreneur Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala, Van Wyk, and Motsumi, involving a letter authorising Motsumi’s company to use the fleet of Medicare24 Tshwane District.
Chaskalson, in his submission before the Commission, said that Van Wyk and Matlala were able to acquire some form of appointment that would reflect their status as having some kind of law enforcement, and with that, blue lights for vehicles.
“To get to that process (Matlala and Van Wyk obtaining law enforcement status), there appears to have been a fairly substantial cash bribe, at least offered to Commissioner Mkhwanazi (suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi),” Chaskalson said.
The law enforcement status and blue lights stemmed from Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed by Mkhwanazi on behalf of EMPD, with Medicare24 and Anubis to establish the Peace Corps unit, which was going to assist EMPD in executing its duties, such as traffic control and scholar patrol.
According to the testimony heard so far, Peace Corps (peace officers/ reservists/ volunteers) were trained, and appointment cards were issued for a project that had not been approved.
Chaskalson stated that once there had been a process by which Matlala and Van Wyk acquired a status that enabled them to have blue lights fitted to some of their vehicles, it appeared that they were both in financial difficulties, stemming from problems securing payments for the SAPS multi-million rand contract.
There were WhatsApp chats and a series of calls between Matlala and Motsumi in an attempt to secure a loan.
Matlala wrote to Motsumi, “Please send me the name and address of the person in charge of your company. My CEO (Van Wyk) needs to prepare the letter first thing in the morning.”
To which Motsumi responded, “Oh, sorry, let me do it now.” Motsumi then gave the name of Ntokozo Motsumi as the person in charge.
Matlala then forwarded the messages to Van Wyk, who, in turn, prepared a letter with the subject, ‘Registration and Management of Emergency Response Vehicles.’
In the letter, van Wyk wrote, “With this letter, I, Mike Van Wyk, in my position as Chief Executive Officer of Medicare 24-Tshwane District (Pty) Ltd, advise that Ntokozo Motsumi from the below organisation has our permission and mandate to register and operate all our emergency response vehicles throughout South Africa. Should you have any questions with regards to this mandate, please feel free to contact us, Van Wyk wrote in a letter to Motsumi.”
Chaskalson stated that the letter essentially made the fleet of Medicare24-Tshwane district available to Vhazwimi Security & Protection Services for use.
“We need to find out from Mr Van Wyk if that fleet is the fleet with blue lights on it because one of the attractions of that fleet to anyone involved in security may well be the fact that it has blue lights,” Chaskalson said.
He added that a loan agreement was then concluded between Mr Motsumi and Medicare24.
“The terms of the loan agreement are that Motsumi is going to advance R20 million to Medicare24 Tshwane. The repayments are going to be in monthly installments paid to the lender by electronic banking transfers, calculated at 20% of a monthly net profit of Medicare24 Tshwane District,” Chaskalson said.
The terms of the loan also allowed for the balance to be settled by July 2027 or until such time that the lender has received R100 million in profits.
The loan agreement was then followed by an acknowledgment of debt by Matlala’s wife, Tsakane, in her capacity as chairperson of the Medicare24 Tshwane Board of Directors.