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News24

2 days ago

Controversial Trust Medium 65% #tender fraud #corruption #ekurhuleni #vusi matlala #saps #tembisa hospital #crime #procurement #investigation #johannesburg high court

Cat Matlala's wife Takane wins R3.7m city training tender via shell company restructured days before bid

Podcast Briefing 2:45

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Key Strategic Points

  1. 1 Bonav Vista Learning Academy was registered as Moko Grill restaurant and operated under that name until weeks before the tender bid window closed in 2023.
  2. 2 Takane Matlala became sole director of the entity and changed its name and address from Bloomfontein to the family mansion in Midstream Estate shortly before winning the contract.
  3. 3 The R3.7 million three-year tender requires bidders to submit three years of financial statements and experience documentation, which would not reflect the newly created learning academy's credentials under its legitimate restaurant history.
  4. 4 Bonav Vista Learning Academy was in de-registration and only brought into compliance with the CIPC in January 2025, less than three weeks before the broadcast.
  5. 5 The company declared annual income of less than R1 million throughout its existence as a restaurant, making the R3.7 million payday its largest single payment ever.
  6. 6 According to the municipality, Takane was contracted to train city employees on operating graders, road markings, and forklifts, reportedly from the Midstream Estate mansion.
  7. 7 Vusi "Cat" Matlala, Takane's husband, is detained at Iongueni supermax in Gqeberha facing fraud, money laundering, and defeating the ends of justice charges related to tender corruption at Tembisa Hospital and the SAPS.
  8. 8 Both Takane and Vusi are scheduled to return to the Johannesburg High Court on Friday, with Takane out on R20,000 bail and facing charges including fraud, money laundering, and accessory after the fact for three assassinations.

Notable Quotes

“The inescapable conclusion is that the process around the award of this tender requires some scrutiny because if she was able to win it based on the fact that she was only in control of this entity for mere weeks before she bid that points to issues with the system.”

— Jeff Wixs, investigative journalist

“For as long as we've had him on our radar, Vusi Cat Matlala is a man who always targeted state procurement, whether it was at Tembisa Hospital or then at the SAPS and now we know that his network extends through his wife and she too was trying to make herself a very wealthy woman on the back of public funds.”

— Jeff Wixs, investigative journalist

“If you can't take the heat in the kitchen, what? Retrofit it to a learning academy.”

— Graeme Robenhimer, News24 host

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