LIVE | Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala testimony Day 2: Julius Malema gets personal as he questions Matlala

Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala, the alleged leader of the notorious criminal cartel "The Big Five," is set to continue his testimony before the Ad Hoc Committee conducting a high-profile investigation into systemic corruption within South Africa’s law enforcement agencies.

With all the evidence having been presented prior to the midday break, Matlala will spend the rest of the afternoon facing questions from the MPs who are present.

5:55pm: “Jerry’s mom is watching, talk to her!” EFF leader Julius Malema got personal with Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, urging him to speak directly to the family of Jerry Bogosha, who remains missing to this day.

4:45 pm - Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Julius Malema questioned Matlala about many personal issues, as well as his supposed Eswatini ID book and the contraband cellphone found in prison.

When asked about his childhood, Matlala revealed that he grew up on the streets for a very long time after his mother disappeared. He believes she was traumatised after being raped, due to an “albino myth”.

When the conversation turned to business, Matlala revealed that he resigned from Medicare in order to preserve the image of the company. But Malema took him on for placing his sister as a Director.

The EFF leader said: “How do you think it’s acceptable to make an African woman a front?”

Matlala said it was only a temporary situation and justified it with high pay, but Malema interjected, saying it defeated the purpose of empowering women. He eventually got Matlala to admit that it was wrong.

Malema also took him on about accusations that he was involved in his friend Jerry Boshoga’s disappearance.

“Jerry’s Mom is watching, talk to her!” Malema urged.

Matlala said they were very close friends and Boshoga was like a brother to him, "but there are people getting between us, trying to convince you that I took your son so that you might think of me as a bogey man. But from the bottom of my heart, I will never, and I have never done anything to harm your son or your family.”

4:00 pm - MK Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo asked about members of the police who allegedly visited Matlala in the Pretoria local prison, to influence him to implicate Senzo Mchunu and Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya.

Matlala confirmed this and said it was the same team that was investigating his criminal case. He gave two names.

3:20 pm - Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Ian Cameron questioned how Matlala landed the huge R360 million SAPS contract when 12 of the requirements were not met. Matlala said he went through the normal tender process. He also denied paying anyone, following Cameron's question in that regard.

Battered with questions about whether he paid or lent money to any senior police officials, Matlala said no to all, but when asked if he "assisted" anyone on the same basis as Cele, he said, quite suspiciously: "Not that I know of". 

Asked why any legitimate businessman would hand over half a million in cash to an ex-government official if it's not a bribe, Matlala said it was because he was under "very serious harassment" from the very same police.

Watch below: Matlala's bribe justifications

2:45 pm - While being questioned by ANC MP Xola Nqola, Matlala denied knowing about a drug cartel operating in Gauteng. He also said he has no personal relationship with Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya.

Later in the conversation, Matlala said that Bheki Cele told him that he and his team wanted to arrest suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.

Asked whether he is angry with Cele, Matlala admitted that he was not happy with the former Police Minister, but said he would not lie about him.

2:00 pm -  Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Glynnis Breytenbach grilled Matlala about the numerous crimes that he was accused of between 2000 and 2018, including involvement in carjacking, carjacking and car theft. She asked how all but one of these were withdrawn. In response, Matlala said they were withdrawn because he wasn't guilty of them.

When asked whether his payment of R500,000 to Cele was corrupt, Matlala said he was simply returning a favour. "From his side, I would say it's corruption," he added. When asked why he didn't report Cele, the businessman said he could not report the same police who were harassing him.

ALSO READ: Cash in Woolies bags: Vusimuzi Matlala claims former police minister Bheki Cele demanded R1 million

12:30 pm - Matlala has denied that he had anything to do with the disbandment of the Police Killings Task Team (PKTT). This follows accusations, raised during Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi’s testimony, that Matlala took steps through his connections to have the PKTT disbanded.

In response to evidence leader Norman Arendse’s question, Matlala said:

“I don’t know what power I would have to disband a unit from the SAPS. Because from what I heard from my affidavit, that thing was planned from way back in 2019, for that unit to be disbanded.”

He said he was not in support of the minister when he decided to disband the unit.

He also said that some of the WhatsApp messages between himself and police go-between Brown Mogotsi were fabricated.

11:45 am - Evidence leader Norman Arendse probed Matlala about his relationship with Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, SA's former acting Police Commissioner. Matlala said they had three meetings, and Arendse said it was strange that Sibiya didn't mention any of this in his testimony, having claimed that he only knew Matlala as a service provider.

In the third meeting, Matlala said he was questioned about the kidnapping of his friend Jerry Boshoga. This private meeting took place after the raid on Matlala's home in early December.

When asked by Arendse if he had anything to do with the kidnapping, Matlala said he didn't. But after further questioning, he revealed that he received a phone call from Boshoga's brother on the night of the kidnapping, and then went to his house. Boshoga said he'd been asked by his brother to accompany him to fetch 20-litre drums containing materials to produce narcotics. When they arrived at the venue, Boshoga was asked to get into a Mercedes, with the promise of his return, but he has not been seen since.

Matlala denied being part of any kind of drug cartel and said he assisted Boshoga because he was a friend. He did not deny knowing that Boshoga was an alleged drug kingpin.

11:20 am: Matlala was questioned by evidence leader Norman Arendse about his meeting with KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Matlala said Bheki Cele had arranged the meeting at The Pearls in Umhlanga, after being informed that Matlala wasn’t getting purchase orders for his Medicare24 contract. Lesetja Senona, head of KZN Hawks, was said to be present at the meeting.

According to Matlala, Mkhwanazi said he would ask his HR head to provide the purchase orders that he wanted, but then Matlala was given details about this HR person’s house purchase in Pretoria. He felt this implied that he would need to give her money if he wanted his contract to be processed smoothly.

When asked if this reeked of corruption, Matlala said it did, but justified it saying he was simply dealing with someone who was corrupt in order to attain something that was rightfully his.

11:00 am - Matlala revealed that former Police Minister Bheki Cele made other demands (in addition to the initial money requests), like settling the accounts of a son of his who "people don't know about", who is an engineering student.

10:30 am - Earlier in 2025, Bheki Cele requested a payment of R1 million, Vusi Matlala alleged, while under questioning by the Ad Hoc Committee's evidence leader Norman Arendse.

Watch his testimony below:

He said the demand was made while the former Police Minister was staying at his apartment. Matlala said he could only give him R300,000. This amount was paid to Cele in January, and R200,000 was paid at a later date.

However, it emerged that there is no living witness to this request as Bongani Mpungose was present, but he has since passed on.  

When asked why he made the payment, he said Cele felt he wasn’t doing enough to show his appreciation after he’d helped Matlala stave off police interrogation following two December raids on his properties.

Cele stayed at his flat in Pretoria for a few days at a time when he needed accommodation, on multiple occasions. However, Cele allegedly said this “wasn’t paying his bills”. 

Matlala said following the initial payments of R500,000, he was intending to pay a further R300,000 but decided against it.

Watch below: Matlala testified he had his sister, Claudette Masethe, the newly appointed director of Medicare24 Tshwane, withdraw R300,000 in cash on his behalf from the business account after he resigned. He claimed the money, withdrawn from the FNB Menylyn branch, was handed over to Cele in a Woolies shopping bag at his Menylyn apartment:

When the second payment was delivered, Matlala was accompanied by a large security convoy. When asked why this was necessary, the businessman said it was for the purposes of marketing his personal protection services.

10 am - Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee, Soviet Lekganyane, is greeting participants and the process is about to commence.

Lekganyane said proceedings would continue until 7pm, with the first two hours used for the presentation of evidence.

Matlala, currently detained at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre since his April arrest, faces serious charges, including conspiracy to commit murder and involvement in a R2-billion fraud linked to Tembisa Hospital. 

His testimony marks a pivotal moment in the committee’s probing of allegations that reach deep into the police force and political structures, potentially implicating top officials in shielding criminal networks.

The committee was formed last October following explosive accusations by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. 

The Commissioner alleged a deliberate campaign by senior police officials and politicians to undermine investigations, protecting powerful drug cartels connected to politically motivated killings in the province.

In a damning claim made on July 6, Mkhwanazi accused suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of disbanding the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) on December 31, 2024. 

He alleged this move was designed to shield Matlala and other criminals with entrenched political ties from prosecution.

During Wednesday’s session, Matlala shocked the committee by alleging payments to senior officials for protection. 

He claimed to have handed former Police Minister Bheki Cele sums of R300,000 and R200,000, contradicting Cele’s previous statements denying any association.

Evidence leader Norman Arendse challenged Matlala to explain the nature of his relationship with both Mchunu and Cele.

“During a raid on my business in December 2024, I spoke to businessman Brown Mogotsi, who promised to assist. He also asked for money to book accommodation for Mchunu’s ten associates. 

“Mogotsi requested funding for the January 8 ANC celebration on behalf of Minister Senzo Mchunu. I paid R200,000 to Mogotsi,” Matlala said.

He continued, saying that Cele lied during his appearance before the Committee when he testified that he didn't know who Matlala was.

“Cele misled the Committee under oath. He once asked me to arrange transport and security for him at a wedding in Lanseria. If Minister Cele didn’t know me, why then did I give him R300,000 and subsequently R200,000?”

Earlier, Matlala also alleged that Cele promised an end to police harassment if Matlala withdrew legal action against officers accused of targeting him in raids.

“Former Minister Cele told me the harassment would stop if I dropped my legal cases against the officers who were harassing me.”

These revelations deepen the committee’s concerns about the extent of collusion between criminal syndicates and senior state officials, raising urgent questions about accountability and the future of the country’s fight against corruption and crime within its security forces.

The committee will resume hearings tomorrow, with Matlala expected to provide further details about his alleged networks and the protection he received from elements within the police and political leadership.

thabo.makwakwa@inl.co.za

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