A court in South Africa rejects a plea and sentence agreement involving alleged organised crime figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala in the Medicare24 tender fraud and corruption case. According to the reports, Matlala’s plea arrangement proposed a prison term of eight years (described by one outlet as an agreed plea deal), while another outlet says the recommended sentence in that arrangement is 15 years. The magistrate does not accept the proposed outcomes as just, and instead proposes a longer term of imprisonment. One report states the court recommends 12 years, while another describes the court doubling a proposed sentence. The matter remains unresolved, with the court’s refusal of the negotiated agreement meaning Matlala’s eventual sentencing will follow a different process. The case centers on allegations connected to the R228 million Medicare24 tender.