Police commissioner Fannie Masemola added to corruption case State vs Matlala and 15 Others:
The state intends to make National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola a co-accused in the fraud and corruption case, State versus Vusimuzi Matlala and 15 others, the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court heard on Tuesday.
Masemola has been added as a co-accused in the case involving 12 police officials, three company directors and a R360 million contract awarded to Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s company, Medicare24.
Masemola appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court where the state prosecutor requested the matter be postponed until 13 May, when Matlala and his 15 co-accused are due to return to court.
“It is the intention of the state for the accused in this matter to be jointly implicated in the case involving Vusimuzi Matlala and 15 others appearing on 13 May 2026,” said the state prosecutor, advocate Santhos Manilal.
On Sunday, suspended Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner Daphney Manamela accused Masemola of receiving a R5 million bribe from football club Kaizer Chiefs manager Bobby Motaung for protection from corruption charges involving the construction of Mbombela Stadium.
Masemola received a court summons on 25 March to answer for his involvement, as the police’s chief accounting officer, in the irregular contract. Masemola was charged with four counts of contravening the Public Finance Management Act.
“As a result of the addition of Mr Masemola in a matter that is already before the court … the state will need to amend that charge sheet to reflect the accused’s involvement and a new charge sheet will be provided in the next court appearance,” said Manilal.
The accused in the Matlala matter, highlighted by the state, were arrested on Schedule 5 offences which relate to criminal offences. The co-accused, who appeared at court on 25 March, have been released on bail, except for accused number 1, Matlala.
“The investigation against Masemola is at an advanced stage, say for certain aspects of the financial investigation that has to be completed,” Malilal said. “And the delay therein is because we are waiting for bank statements.”
The R360m contract, which was awarded to Matlala’s Medicare24 company in April 2024 to provide medical services within the Tshwane District, was cancelled by Masemola in May 2025 after an audit report found irregularities.
Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has said he first alerted Masemola before the audit report findings.
The Independent Directorate Against Corruption found Matlala’s company had been improperly awarded the contract and subsequently charged Matlala, 12 police officials, three company directors and now the national police commissioner.
South African Police Service section head of quality management Rachel Matjeng has been the most controversial in the group after conceding to a romantic relationship with Matlala, accepting a R300 000 gift and payments for Ozempic medication.
Masemola has denied being involved in the irregular appointment and receiving financial gratification from Matlala’s contract.
He told the police ad hoc committee that he owned four properties — one of which he rented out in Pretoria, another in which he lived and two flats in Cape Town occupied by his elder children while they were attending university.
Appearing on Masemola’s behalf, advocate Muzi Sikhakhane confirmed the new court date of 13 May.
1.9 million Cape Town residents face high to very high air pollution risk, new UCT research reveals:
A new study at the University of Cape Town (UCT) has produced the first high-resolution map of air pollution across the Cape Town metropolitan area.
Its findings reveal a troubling reality: more than 40% of Cape Town’s population — roughly 1.9 million people — are exposed to high or very high levels of air pollution risk.
The research, published in the journal GeoHealth, goes beyond measuring pollution levels alone. Instead, it maps how environmental exposure intersects with poverty, housing and access to services, highlighting a pattern in which the city’s most vulnerable communities face the greatest risks.
Led by Dr Meryl Jagarnath from UCT’s Division of Environmental Health, the study, funded by the National Research Foundation, combines satellite-derived air quality data with a detailed social vulnerability index. The result is a high-resolution map that identifies “hotspots” where poor air quality and social disadvantage overlap.
Cape Town, she said, provided a critical case study for understanding the intersection of environmental and social risk. As one of the most unequal cities in South Africa, its spatial patterns of segregation and deprivation continued to shape both exposure to environmental hazards and the capacity of communities to respond to them.
“The study highlights how these structural inequalities are reflected in the geography of air pollution risk, underscoring the need for approaches that explicitly incorporate environmental justice into air quality management,” Jagarnath said.
The study addressed a critical gap in air pollution science, she said. “Conventional approaches to air quality assessment focus primarily on pollutant concentrations, often overlooking the social and structural conditions that shape exposure and health outcomes.”
To do this, researchers used data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite, which measures atmospheric pollutants across large areas. They constructed an air quality index that includes nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and particulate matter — pollutants linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease.
This environmental data was then layered with a social vulnerability index built from indicators such as income levels, housing conditions, infrastructure access and land use.
By combining the two within a geographic information system, the researchers were able to pinpoint where high pollution exposure coincides with limited capacity to cope with its effects.
What emerges is a deeply unequal urban landscape. High-risk areas are concentrated in townships and informal settlements, including Khayelitsha, Crossroads, Philippi and Gugulethu.
In the communities, residents face a “double burden”: they are more exposed to harmful pollutants and also more socially vulnerable, with higher levels of poverty, overcrowding and limited access to healthcare.
By contrast, the city centre and northern coastal areas near Table Bay consistently show much lower risk levels, reflecting both better air quality and lower social vulnerability.
The study shows that air pollution in Cape Town is not evenly distributed. Instead, it follows the fault lines of the city’s history, shaped by apartheid-era spatial planning, persistent inequality and uneven development.
Communities that were historically marginalised remain more likely to live near pollution sources such as industrial zones, busy transport corridors and areas with poor infrastructure.
“This study highlights the intersection of social vulnerability and pollution exposure, emphasising how socioeconomic and demographic factors increase susceptibility in certain communities,” the authors said.
“The results underscore the spatial distribution of high vulnerability zones, particularly in densely populated informal settlements and townships, where residents face compounded risks from both environmental and infrastructural deficiencies.”
Housing emerges as a critical factor. The research finds that people living in informal dwellings or unstable rental arrangements are more exposed to both outdoor and indoor air pollution.
Limited access to clean energy, combined with overcrowded conditions, increases reliance on polluting fuels and heightens exposure levels inside homes.
In some wards, up to 68% of residents rent and about 12% of households live in informal settlements. The conditions, the authors argue, are not just social issues but key drivers of environmental health risk.
The research also marks a significant methodological advance. By using satellite data, the team was able to map pollution across the entire metropolitan area, including places where ground-based monitoring stations are sparse or absent.
This is particularly important in lower-income areas, where monitoring infrastructure is often limited. Satellite observations provide continuous, large-scale coverage, offering a more complete picture of air quality and helping to “democratise” access to environmental information.
The study was conducted in collaboration with Dr Lerato Shikwambana from the Earth Observation Directorate at the South African National Space Agency.
“The application of Earth observation represents an important advancement in public and environmental health research,” said Jagarnath, adding that satellite platforms provide continuous, large-scale and high-resolution data on atmospheric pollutants, overcoming the limitations of sparse and unevenly distributed ground-based monitoring networks.
The findings had important implications for policy and practice, said Jagarnath, noting that air quality management strategies often adopted uniform approaches that did not account for localised differences in exposure and vulnerability.
“The spatially resolved risk maps produced in this study provide a basis for targeted, location-specific interventions, enabling policymakers, urban planners and public health practitioners to prioritise communities at greatest risk.”
Such interventions might include reducing emissions in high-risk areas, improving housing and infrastructure, increasing access to healthcare and enhancing urban green spaces.
“By addressing both environmental exposures and underlying social conditions, these strategies have the potential to reduce health inequalities and improve overall population health.”
The study also highlighted the value of integrating environmental data into health systems. Jagarnath said spatial information on air pollution and vulnerability could support more informed clinical and public health decision-making, particularly for conditions associated with air pollution exposure, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
More broadly, the study demonstrated the potential of interdisciplinary approaches that combined environmental science, geospatial analysis and public health, she added.
“As cities across Africa continue to grow, the integration of Earth observation into environmental health research offers a scalable and transferable model for assessing and managing urban environmental risks.
“By making visible the spatial distribution of air pollution risk and its intersection with social vulnerability, this study provides a critical evidence base for advancing environmental justice in South Africa.”
Across much of Africa, motorcycles are not leisure vehicles. They are workhorses. They carry commuters, schoolchildren, goods, medicines and deliveries. For millions of people, they provide the most affordable and accessible form of transport, while also creating livelihoods for riders and small businesses.
In many places, they fill the gap left by limited public transport. Kenya alone has about 1.5 million riders.
Of the 27 million motorbikes in sub-Saharan Africa, only about 0.1% are electric, running on clean and low-cost energy.
As part of a team of electrical and industrial engineers at Stellenbosch University, I work (and go on adventures!) to see if the share can be increased.
When our team rode a locally manufactured electric motorbike from Kenya to South Africa in 2024, charging it with only solar power and battery storage along the way, we were not only testing a vehicle. We were testing whether Africa could build and power its own electric mobility future.
The journey covered roughly 6 000km via cities, rural roads and border posts, showing that electric two-wheelers are not a distant dream for sub-Saharan Africa. They are practical and point to a much bigger opportunity.
Feasible transition
Electric motorcycles with battery swopping fit the realities of mobility demand in African countries: relatively short daily trips, constant use, tight operating margins and the need for low-cost transport.
It’s been estimated that electrifying the segment would reduce total cost of ownership for riders by 35% to 40%, improve urban air quality, cut greenhouse gas emissions and lower dependence on imported fuel.
Our own research suggests the transition is both technically and economically feasible.
- We found that electrifying Nairobi’s boda bodas could cut carbon emissions by about 85% and that solar-powered systems would be better suited to battery swopping than home charging.
- Our modelling of 39 005 delivery trips in Cape Town showed that electrification works even better when fleets were right-sized and charging aligned with solar cycles.
Together, the findings suggest that electric micromobility in Africa is not only technically viable but can be paired with local solar systems in ways that improve affordability, resilience and access.
An industrial opportunity
Africa should not simply become a market for electric vehicles designed and manufactured elsewhere. It should become a place where they are built, adapted and improved for African conditions.
The continent’s mobility needs are specific. Vehicles must cope with rough roads, heavier loads, long operating hours and uneven access to charging. A motorcycle designed for Europe or Asia is not always right for a boda boda rider in Kenya or a delivery rider in South Africa.
In one study, we developed and validated a physics-based model twin of an electric motorcycle under African operating conditions, showing that energy use could be predicted with good accuracy from real trips, terrain and payload. The digital twin could be used in virtual assessments of electric fleet deployments.
Local production would also create local jobs. It could create opportunities in assembly, fabrication, battery integration, electronics, software, data analytics, servicing and charging infrastructure. It would give young engineers, technicians and entrepreneurs a foothold in an industry that is growing quickly.
But that growth will not happen on its own. It needs policy support. Ethiopia banned imports of internal combustion engine vehicles in 2024. This rapidly accelerated EV adoption altered the economics of vehicle imports. South Africa’s belated 150% tax incentive for local electric vehicle production is a step in the right direction.
Tapping into local resources
Sub-Saharan Africa has some of the best solar resources in the world. At the same time, many communities face unreliable grid electricity or no access at all. That might sound like a barrier to electrified transport but it is also an opportunity.
Compared with large cars or buses, small vehicle batteries are far easier to charge from decentralised solar systems. Solar-powered charging points, battery swop stations, mini-grids and storage systems can all support electric motorcycles where conventional infrastructure is weak.
Charging has been demonstrated on solar-hybrid mini-grids, particularly for rural electric two-wheelers, with documented cases in Nigeria and operator-led deployments in Sierra Leone.
Our research has found that decentralised solar could help power the transition: a school-centred solar trading model serving households and electric motorbikes achieved payback periods of under five years in favourable cases and improved supply reliability for external users by about 60%.
This matters especially in rural and peri-urban areas, where mobility poverty is often most severe. A locally manufactured electric motorcycle charged with solar power is more than a cleaner vehicle. It is a tool for inclusion. It could improve access to jobs, education, healthcare and markets while reducing exposure to fuel price shocks.
That is why this transition should not be framed only as a climate issue. It is a development issue.
Policy needs
African governments must make it easier to produce and sell electric vehicles locally. Many local manufacturers face the strange situation where importing a finished vehicle is cheaper and simpler than building one domestically. High duties on components, inconsistent regulations, costly certification, weak access to finance and uncertain policy signals all work against local industry.
If governments are serious about industrial development, electric micromobility is a practical place to start.
Support could include lower tariffs on components for local assembly, tax incentives for domestic manufacturing, development finance, clear technical standards and public procurement policies that create dependable demand. The aim should not be permanent protection but smart support that helps African firms scale and compete.
Governments must support cross-border collaboration. Africa’s challenges are shared but our responses are often fragmented. Countries create separate standards, separate pilot projects and separate industrial plans, even when their transport needs and energy constraints are remarkably similar. The duplication makes progress slower and more expensive.
Many African borders were imposed in colonial times. They do not reflect the deeper connections between economies, people or problems. Fuel insecurity, unemployment, poor public transport, congestion and unreliable electricity are not isolated national problems. They are regional realities. The response should therefore also be regional.
That means harmonised standards, easier trade in locally made vehicles and components, shared research platforms and coordinated industrial policy.
A larger, more integrated African market would help manufacturers scale up, reduce costs and justify investment in skills and supply chains. It would also allow innovations developed in one country to spread more quickly across the continent.
Electric mobility policy must be linked to energy policy, especially solar energy.
From talk to action
Our journey from Nairobi to Stellenbosch, told in our seven-episode documentary series, Recharging Hope, was not a publicity stunt. It was a practical demonstration that locally made electric motorbikes, powered by solar energy, could work across African roads and real African conditions.
The question is no longer whether this future is possible. It is whether policy and investment will help Africa build it for itself.
With the right policies, partnerships and investment, electric micromobility could help the region move people more affordably, build local industry more confidently and use the power of the African sun more fully.
Africa’s mobility future should be built in Africa and powered by its own abundant renewable energy.
This article was originally published in The Conversation Africa. Thinus Booysen is a professor in engineering at Stellenbosch University
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