A top-level investigation involving Mpumalanga and Limpopo police has been launched into the death of a senior civil servant who was investigating tender irregularities in his department.

The senior official, Andrew Tladi, was "professionally wasted" on December 3, two days before a crucial meeting with state legal advisers to investigate corruption within the health department.

Tladi was set to meet head of the health department's legal services about alleged irregularities and financial mismanagement involving multi-million-rand tenders at the Limpopo Department of Health.

A joint task team made up of Limpopo and Mpumalanga police has been formed to investigate the case.

Superintendent Mohale Ramatseba said two people employed at the Seshego medicine and drugs depot were detained for two days for questioning this week and released.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Mokomene said they were awaiting the results of tests done on the two suspects.

"If the results are positive, we will charge them with murder," said Mokomene.

Police reconstruction of the death indicates that Tladi was accosted at his flat in Polokwane, where he was allegedly shot once and dragged into his car.

The car was driven to a junction between Roedtan and Marble Hall.

He was then apparently shot again "just to confirm his death", before his body was shoved into the boot of his Mercedes-Benz.

Mokomene said one could deduce from the manner of his death that the people who had killed him were professionals.

Mokomene added that Tladi's cellphone and wallet were not taken - only his laptop, which had confidential documents, was missing.

"It was a planned assassination," said Mokomene.

"We cannot rule out the possibility that his murder could be related to his work.

"It is one of the many possibilities we are considering," said Ramatseba.

Several health department officials told City Press that Tladi was a "no-nonsense manager who ruffled feathers" when he attempted to stop a culture of collusion between civil servants and private companies in ripping off the state to the tune of millions of rands.

"His anti-corruption drive angered some senior managers who have been colluding with private companies.

"But it was when he prepared a hard-hitting report about his section and when he started talking to legal advisers about the possibility of cancelling some contracts and tenders because they were irregularly entered into that he was professionally wasted," said a department official.

With acknowledgements to Makhudu Sefara and the City Press.