South African police unable to recruit 5,500 trainees due to cancelled contract — Daily Maverick
South African police were unable to recruit 5,500 candidates for entry-level trainee positions because a contract required for mandatory medical examinations was terminated. As Daily Maverick reports, the South African Police Service plans to temporarily involve the South African National Defence Force in conducting such examinations.
Police announced 5,500 trainee positions on 30 June last year and received more than one million applications by the close of applications the following month. A total of 6,125 candidates passed the selection process and were due to undergo medical assessment. However, the recruitment planned for February 2026 did not take place because the contract with the medical risk manager was terminated.
Plans for new recruitment
Acting National Police Commissioner Puleng Dimpane told parliament that the disruption of the recruitment process was linked to a contract referred to in the article as the Matlala matter. According to her, investigations and related problems affected the service's work concerning the 5,500 positions. In the current financial year, police intend to offer a total of 11,000 trainee places, including to make up for the previously unfilled positions.
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The contract was linked to a tender for medical services for the police, which was awarded in 2024 to Medicare 24 Tshwane District. The tender, with a budget of 360 million rand, was later cancelled. Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and other individuals implicated in the case, including police officers, continue to feature in a criminal case concerning the tender. Suspended National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola, who was one of the accused, was cleared of criminal charges last month.
Workload on investigators
Police leadership also reported a shortage of investigators in provinces with high crime rates. Over the year, 1,031 detectives left the service, including 245 in Gauteng, 153 in KwaZulu-Natal, 141 in the Western Cape and 122 in the Eastern Cape. An auditor previously found that some investigators handle between 600 and 800 cases. Police plan to return former detectives to service subject to thorough vetting.
The report also states that disciplinary hearings were initiated in 41 of 57 reports of alleged corruption, or 72% of cases. Separately, police reported an increase in cocaine seizures: 2,093 kg were confiscated in the 2025/26 financial year, compared with 736 kg a year earlier. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia told parliament that legislation on combating organised crime needs to be strengthened in view of cartel activity.
