By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Pretoria Magistrate Court has postponed the case against the South African Police Services (SAPS) National Commissioner Fannie Masemola to 13 May 2026 for further investigations.
Masemola appeared before Pretoria Magistrate Court on charges linked to a possible breach of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
He was served with a notice to appear in court on 21 April over his alleged role in the awarding of a controversial R360-million tender to the controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Following allegations of corruption linked to the awarding of the contract, a dozen senior police officers have been formally charged over their role in the deal, which has since been cancelled.
They have been accused of colluding with Matlala, who has also been charged. They face corruption and fraud charges.
Matlala was awarded the tender while he was already under investigation by the Special Investigating Unit and the Hawks over the R2.3 billion Tembisa Hospital procurement scandal.
The State wants Masemola to join Matlala as a co-accused in the fraudulent tender case.
The state prosecutor requested that Masemola’s matter be added to the case involving Matlala and the 15 co-accused, saying that only a few financial records still needed to be obtained.
“The investigation against Masemola is at an advanced stage, save for certain aspects of the financial investigation that has to be completed,” Advocate Santhos Manilal told the court.
The charge sheet in Matlala’s matter is to be amended to reflect the addition of Masemola, with the matter to resume on 13 May.
Masemola maintained his innocence, he told the court that “I did what I was supposed to do. I stopped the contract.”
“I don’t think one should be here today, we should be fighting organised crime as a group, as a joined force, but things do happen, so here I am” he said.
The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) is seeking to hold Masemola accountable for what it describes as a failure to exercise proper oversight in his role.
The developments come amid mounting scrutiny on the police service, with the establishment of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, probing corruption and malfeasance in the criminal justice system.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured South Africans that the matter involving Masemola will be handled in accordance with the law.
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.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the charges would not have been brought against Masemola unless “we did not believe that we’ve got a water-tight case”.
He dismissed allegations of factional battles within the security cluster or Masemola being targeted for arrest, saying the decision to prosecute Masemola “was based on the law”.
He confirmed that the charges against Masemola related only to the PFMA, and not the same as the corruption and defeating the ends of justice charges facing the others on the Matlala case.
“We are not the one’s who are saying someone is guilty or not, we are just presenting the matters to the court, and the courts will make decisions on the basis of the evidence,” said Kganyago.