Lieutenant General Dr Molefe Isaac Fani, SAPS Divisional Commissioner for Supply Chain Management, has been suspended pending internal disciplinary proceedings following findings by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) related to his tenure at the National Treasury.
SAPS confirmed the suspension this week, stating that Fani was served with a Notice of Intention to Suspend in terms of the SAPS Discipline Regulations. The SIU report flagged irregularities, conflict of interest, and wasteful expenditure during his time as Acting Chief Procurement Officer at National Treasury, particularly around COVID-19 procurement contracts.
The suspension is also linked to the controversial R360-million Medicare Tshwane tender awarded to Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s company, Medicare24, in June 2024. The contract was later declared irregular due to non-compliance with supply chain management prescripts and failure to disclose key supplier arrangements. Fani’s signature was central to the approval process.
Fani previously testified before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations of political interference in SAPS — that appearance was five months ago, in late 2025. During the hearing, he acknowledged failures in the tender process but maintained that the system, not him, broke down. He also said no major concerns were flagged to his committee at the time of approval.
Portfolio Committee on Police Chairperson Ian Cameron has welcomed the suspension, calling it “long overdue” and a step toward restoring accountability in SAPS. He questioned why Fani was appointed to oversee SAPS procurement despite the damning SIU report.
The suspension comes amid broader scrutiny of SAPS procurement, with President Cyril Ramaphosa having placed Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola on precautionary suspension on 23 April 2026 pending a criminal trial linked to the same tender. SAPS recorded over R650 million in irregular expenditure in the last financial year, much of it tied to procurement under Fani’s watch.
Fani has been given an opportunity to submit written representations explaining why he should not be suspended. No criminal charges have been confirmed against him yet, but the SIU findings have put him at the centre of one of SAPS’ most high-profile procurement scandals.
