Controversial tender tycoon Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has told Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on police corruption that he paid former Police Minister Bheki Cele over R500,000 in cash.
According to Matlala, the payments, split into R300,000 and R200,000 instalments, were intended to ‘halt harassment’ from police following a home raid, recover firearms seized by police, and address alleged threats to his family.
“I made an initial payment of R300,000 in cash to former Minister Cele at my residence in Pretoria, around January. I handed over the money while he was inside my apartment,” he wrote in his testimony.
“This was after he told me they needed gratification, which he called a ‘facilitation fee,’ related to his role in returning my firearms and stopping the harassment.”
“He also implied that he was not acting alone, which explained why such a large sum was required. I made a second cash payment of R200,000 to Cele around March 2025 at the Beverly Hills Hotel,” he added.
Matlala, who is involved in high-value government contracts across security and healthcare sectors, claimed Cele intervened personally.
He alleged that he made calls to senior SAPS officials, including Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, and advised him to liaise with businessman Brown Mogotsi, whom he sent around R200,000 to for the ANC’s January 8th statement.
Cele has repeatedly denied these allegations.
The testimony on 26 November, delivered under tight security while Matlala wore full Burberry attire despite being shackled, forms part of an ongoing inquiry into corruption, criminal syndicates, and the alleged capture of state institutions by private interests.
Matlala faces multiple charges and is currently detained at Kgosi Mampuru II Maximum Security Prison.
Matlala’s controversies
Parliament heard that Matlala’s controversies go beyond alleged bribery.
News24’s months-long investigation uncovered how tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala leveraged a R360-million SAPS health services tender to gain influence over top police officials, including Ministers Senzo Mchunu and Cele.
Despite no qualifications, allegations of fraud, and a history flagged by whistleblower Babita Deokaran, Matlala funded a lavish lifestyle while his company, Medicare24, failed to deliver services and left staff unpaid.
The probe exposed a deadly mix of tender fraud, political protection, and criminal violence, with R50 million in taxpayer money disappearing amid official inaction.
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has described Matlala as a key figure in networks compromising law enforcement, including influencing the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team.
Matlala has also been linked to violent crimes, including an alleged plot to murder his ex-girlfriend, actress and socialite Tebogo Thobejane, and has faced raids uncovering unlicensed firearms and luxury assets.
During the parliamentary hearing, Matlala suggested that some senior officials, including National Commissioner Fannie Masemola, benefited directly from payments to secure tenders, while suspended Minister Senzo Mchunu denies any dealings with him.
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