Former police minister Bheki Cele will return to Parliament on Friday to continue his testimony before the ad hoc committee probing corruption and political interference within South Africa’s policing structures.
Thursday’s session was marked by tense exchanges between Cele and Members of Parliament, as the former minister defended himself against claims of improper relationships with businessmen linked to high-value government tenders .
Cele’s appearance centred on his interactions with Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, an alleged criminal mastermind currently facing attempted murder and corruption charges.
Matlala, whose security firm reportedly employs 23 former police officers, has been accused of using political connections to secure a R360 million police tender.
Cele confirmed meeting Matlala twice — first at Durban’s Beverly Hills Hotel and later at his Pretoria penthouse — but insisted the encounters were “brief and professional.”
“I went to Matlala’s house twice,” Cele told MPs.
“I met him for official reasons, not friendship. I had read about him two weeks earlier through media reports. He looked like a cool guy until you begin to hear his record.”
During Thursday’s testimony, Cele also painted a grim picture of the country’s taxi industry, calling it “brutal” and riddled with violence. He recalled attending the funeral of slain taxi boss Jothan “Mswati” Msibi, where, he said, there were “more guns than flowers.”
The event, which drew high-profile politicians including Julius Malema and Fikile Mbalula, spotlighted the overlap between private security, political networks, and the taxi sector.
Cele expressed concern about former elite police officers now working as private bodyguards for industry figures.
“He [Matlala] told me 23 of his protection staff had been recruited from the police task team,” Cele said.
“They are recruited by the taxi industry — not syndicates. There are a lot of deaths and a lot of guns there.”
He further denied any association with businessman Hangwani Maumela, whose name has appeared in reports of questionable tenders.
“I went to Zimbali to meet Cat [Matlala], not Maumela,” Cele said.
“I have no relationship with him.”
Cele also took aim at suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, accusing him of unlawfully disbanding the Political Killings Task Team in KwaZulu-Natal. He claimed Matlala had previously met with Mchunu and businessman Brown Mogotsi to discuss using tender funds to advance Mchunu’s political ambitions.
“He said Mchunu told him, ‘We will work together as long as you don’t come close to Cele and Zuma,’” Cele testified.
Friday’s session is expected to probe deeper into Cele’s statements, particularly around alleged political funding, the infiltration of police structures by private interests, and whether senior officials used their influence to protect criminal networks.
MPs are also likely to revisit the issue of state-trained officers being absorbed into private security firms, a topic that dominated Thursday’s discussion.
The ad hoc committee, established earlier this year, is examining allegations that high-ranking political and police figures manipulated investigations and procurement processes for personal or political gain.
Watch the live broadcast of Bheki Cele’s continued testimony below as Parliament’s inquiry resumes this morning.
