Matlala Gives Two-Hour Preliminary Testimony to South Africa Police Inquiry, Full Account Set for September

Vusimusi "Cat" Matlala appeared before the Madlanga Commission on 15 July 2026 for two hours. The panel agreed that his full testimony will begin on 1 September 2026. BBC News reported that the commission has been in progress for 10 months.

Matlala has been in police custody for more than one year on a separate case. He was arrested in May 2025 and charged with attempted murder, a charge he denies. His wife Tsakane Matlala faces the same charge and has been granted bail.

Matlala was later charged with corruption over allegations relating to providing health services to the police. He pleaded guilty last month as part of a deal with prosecutors but has since withdrawn the plea. Matlala, born in 1976, grew up in a township east of Pretoria.

He told parliament last November that he was convicted in 2001 for possession of stolen goods and served time. He registered his first formal business in 2017 to provide security services and later expanded into healthcare, securing contracts with the police despite lacking prior experience in that field.

Matlala told parliament he made donations for activities related to the African National Congress.

He said he paid former Police Minister Bheki Cele a 500,000 rand facilitation fee after police returned firearms seized from him. Cele admitted knowing Matlala for a couple of months and staying at his rented penthouse in Pretoria on two occasions but denied receiving money.

Brig Rachel Matjeng told the commission she had an on-off romantic relationship with Matlala that included receiving shots of Ozempic.