The Madlanga Commission has heard further explosive testimony detailing the alleged extent of influence wielded by suspected criminal mastermind Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala within the South African Police Service.
Testifying in camera, Witness F described what he characterised as a high-level plot to arrest controversial gossip blogger Musa Khawula, who had published a series of posts critical of Matlala.
According to the witness, senior police officials — including suspended Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya — were involved in the operation. Witness F told the commission that in the days leading up to Khawula’s arrest, he sent the warrant of arrest directly to Matlala.
At the time, Witness F said he was attending a motorcycle event in Rustenburg when he was instructed to return to Gauteng to effect the arrest. This followed Khawula’s posts on X alleging that Matlala was a dangerous criminal linked to corruption at Tembisa Hospital and the murder of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran.
Witness F testified that logistical challenges delayed the arrest, as it was a weekend and personnel were unavailable. He said he eventually secured assistance from Captain Zulu, who accompanied him to what he described as a “safe address.”
He further admitted to sending the warrant of arrest to Sibiya and later to Matlala himself. Witness F claimed Sibiya instructed him to forward the warrant to Matlala because Matlala headed a private security company whose members allegedly frequented locations visited by Khawula.
“I did not see any problem with it, because usually we do work with private security,” Witness F told the commission.
The witness also alleged that Sibiya emphasised the urgency of the arrest, saying Khawula had offended “important people,” including ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula and another individual referred to as “Zee.”
However, the commission rejected Witness F’s explanation. Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiselo Madlanga put it to the witness that the warrant was sent to Matlala to assure him that the person troubling him — Khawula — was being dealt with.