For the first time, South Africans got a glimpse of alleged criminal mastermind Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, whose name has dominated headlines since his July 6 arrest following a high-profile media briefing by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
On Thursday, Matlala’s voice recordings were played at the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of Criminal Infiltration, Corruption, and Political Interference in the Criminal Justice System—known as the Madlanga Commission. The recordings formed part of testimony by a police officer attached to the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), now central to ongoing investigations.
In the clips, Matlala can be heard name-dropping powerful figures, including Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, suspended Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, and other senior SAPS officials. He accuses Sibiya of being “a criminal driven by money” and claims Mchunu ordered the cancellation of his R320 million SAPS tender after he refused to take part in a plot to falsely implicate PKTT officers and undermine Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo.
Matlala also alleges he once intended to write an affidavit implicating Mchunu, saying in one recording:
“I wrote a message to Brown Mogotsi telling him that I am going to make an affidavit… I am implicating the minister in the crimes he’s involved in.”
Mchunu has denied knowing Matlala, while Sibiya admitted to meeting him “only a few times.”
The Madlanga Commission adjourned on Thursday and is expected to resume Monday with testimony from a new, unnamed witness.