Matlala’s testimony takes explosive turn

Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s testimony took an explosive turn on Wednesday afternoon, when he detailed his alleged cash payments of R500,000 to former Minister Bheki Cele.

The Ad Hoc Committee established to investigate the allegations made by the South African Police Service (SAPS) KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Head, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, had MPs hanging onto his every word when Matlala made several statements which detailed his relationship with Cele.

Matlala’s testimony was so captivating that at one point it prompted the Ad Hoc Committee Chairperson, Soviet Lekganyane, to critique MPs for getting ahead of the evidence leader, Advocate Norman Arendse S.C as he led Matlala through his statement.

The moment was preceded by Matlala sharing that Cele told him that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu wants to be president. Cele had allegedly said, “He thinks he (Mchunu) can be president of the country.”

Mtalala added that even Cele asked him how he was awarded the R360-million tender, assuming that there had been alleged involvement “between him (Mchunu), me and General Sibiya, because of them saying I'm close to Sibiya also, they might have participated for me to get this healthcare contract".

“They assumed that the money from the healthcare contract was supposed to fund his (Mchunu’s) presidential campaign.”

EFF’s Julius Malema shared with Matlala that when Cele appeared before MPs, they had asked him, “Why do you keep Matlala close to you, he said, ‘No, I kept him close because he was bringing information from Mchunu to my side, so I can't let him go, because he's giving me information.

“He said that under oath, and now you're saying he's the one who came with the information, the opposite of what he told us, so, effectively, I'm asking you, Mr Matlala, did former Minister Cele lie under oath about those issues in relation to your name?”

“Yes, he lied under oath,” Matlala said. “If he was asking, he was to me, sucking information. Why would he even ask me to ask my protectors to take him and his wife to a wedding somewhere in Lanseria? There was no way he would get information from those guys.

“He doesn't know them… I even gave him even money… I don't think he even declared that money. I gave him money twice,” Matlala said.

“How much did you give him, the first time and the second time?” Malema asked. Matlala answered, “I gave him R300,000, and then on the second occasion I gave him R200,000.”

Lekganyane intervened, saying, “You can see that the witness has a lot of information that he wants to share with the committee.

“The witness mentioned the meeting that happened with General Cele at the Beverly Hills (hotel). The witness mentioned the matter of Mr Brown Mogotsi, and the witnesses also mentioned the statement that General (Dumisani) Khumalo was about to be removed.

“Fourthly, the information about the presidential ambitions (of Mchunu). Fifthly, about the payments that were made for flight bookings, including those ID copies (for ANC January 8th celebrations), and now, lastly, that there is money which has been given to Cele. So these issues must not go away so that we do not scupper the work of the legal counsel.”

Matlala explained that he had met Cele for the first time on the 23rd of December 2024 at the Beverly Hill hotel in uMhlanga, as he had been introduced to Matlala as someone who could help alleviate the alleged harassment issues that he faced from the police.

Matlala’s property and his workplace had been raided twice by police; in the process, his firearms had been confiscated. Matlala had instituted court proceedings against the police following the harassment, with Cele then encouraging him to withdraw his interdict as a sign of goodwill.

Thereafter Matlala said he returned to Pretoria, and he was able to retrieve his firearms, but he does not know “if they were registered or not”.