KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made his final appearance before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating corruption, criminal infiltration, and political interference in the criminal justice system.
Mkhwanazi addressed his earlier 2025 allegation that former Police Minister Bheki Cele had sent bank account details (not in Cele’s name) via WhatsApp to controversial tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who then deposited funds. He confirmed the full retraction, explaining the error stemmed from his team’s data analysis mishap—a near-identical cellphone number mix-up (differing by just one digit) between Cele’s contact and the actual recipient’s.
Matlala reportedly made the same mistake, transferring money to an unintended third party (identified in reports as Mhlanga from Mpumalanga). The recipient kept the funds and shared some with his girlfriend. No money reached Cele, and Mkhwanazi apologized for the inaccuracy, which he described as a genuine mistake in interpreting communications and identifiers.
This resolves the specific WhatsApp-linked bank transfer claim. However, Cele remains implicated in broader allegations from the inquiry, including Matlala’s testimony of cash bribes and payments (not bank transfers) to Cele for assistance with SAPS contracts and issues, free accommodation allegedly provided, facilitated meetings involving Cele, Matlala, and Mkhwanazi, and related interactions tied to tenders and the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
Cele has denied extortion, direct illicit WhatsApp use, or wrongdoing, attributing some claims to misunderstandings. The committee’s probe into systemic corruption in SAPS and the justice system continues, with Mkhwanazi’s session wrapping up key witness testimonies.