Public works terminates contract associated with “Cat” Vusi Matlala.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has confirmed that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has terminated its lease agreement with Medicare 24 Tshwane District, a hospital facility in Pretoria West linked to suspected criminal Vusi “Cat” Matlala. The lease was officially terminated with immediate effect on Friday, 9 January 2026.
The decision follows serious allegations raised in a Parliamentary Ad hoc Committee and a media investigation, which claimed that Medicare 24 Tshwane District unlawfully bypassed standard procurement processes to secure the lease. An internal investigation ordered by the Minister found that the lease, signed in December 2023, could not legally take effect because the property had not been declared surplus by the South African Police Service (SAPS), which remains the designated user of the facility under the Government Immovable Asset Management Act of 2007.
DPWI said the formal declaration of the property as surplus is a legal requirement before any lease can be implemented. In terminating the lease, the department cited the need for legal certainty, compliance with governance frameworks, and the prevention of wasteful expenditure.
Minister Macpherson emphasized that public assets must be used for the public good and that the department will not tolerate abuse of state resources. He further confirmed that a full investigation is underway and that any officials involved in authorising the unlawful lease will be held accountable. Information relating to possible criminal conduct will be handed over to law enforcement agencies.
Matlala, who is allegedly linked to the looting of more than R2 billion in Gauteng healthcare funds, attempted murder, and the infiltration of law enforcement agencies, was moved in December 2025 from Kgosi Mampuru II (C-Max) Correctional Centre to the eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Facility in Kokstad.
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