National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has pushed back against claims that he has been charged with wrongdoing after being served with a summons linked to the SAPS tender scandal.

Speaking after a KwaZulu-Natal SAPS media briefing on Sunday, Masemola said the summons was being misunderstood. He stressed that appearing in court does not automatically mean a person has been charged. According to The Citizen, he said there was “nothing abnormal” about the process and described it as a routine legal step.

Tender Case Centres on R360 Million Contract

The matter is tied to the irregular awarding of a R360 million SAPS contract. The Citizen reported that the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption arrested businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his co-accused last week on charges including corruption, fraud and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act. Masemola was then summoned to appear in court in connection with the broader case.

Masemola said he could not say much more because the matter is now before the courts. He did, however, confirm that he had spoken to President Cyril Ramaphosa and repeated that he is not facing charges.

Commissioner Rejects Claims of Internal SAPS Warfare

Masemola also rejected suggestions that the summons was linked to factional fights inside the police service. He said he does not believe any state agency can be weaponised against individuals and insisted the process should be allowed to unfold in court.

He added that the fight against organised crime would continue, calling it a major threat to the country.

‘I Didn’t Do Anything Wrong’

On the tender itself, Masemola said he had fulfilled his duties as accounting officer and denied dropping the ball. He said he cancelled the contract and followed the required processes.

He also clarified that while SAPS called in investigators, he personally did not ask Idac to launch the probe. Instead, he said the unit informed him that it was investigating and SAPS handed over the documents it needed. He added that a forensic audit is still under way and should provide a clearer picture of what went wrong and who was responsible. Masemola is expected to appear in court on 21 April 2026.