Controversial businessman and murder suspect Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has arrived under heavy security at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre, where Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee is sitting to hear his evidence about an alleged “Big Five” syndicate said to have infiltrated police operations.
The hearing is being broadcast live, and the stream is embedded below for readers to follow developments in real time.
Matlala’s appearance comes after his lawyers lodged a last-minute bid to postpone Wednesday’s proceedings, citing concerns about his health, mental state and limited time to consult while detained in the C Max section of the prison.
Committee chairperson Soviet Lekganyane dismissed the delay attempt and confirmed that the sitting would go ahead at Kgosi Mampuru to accommodate Matlala’s incarceration.
Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala to give evidence on alleged ‘Big Five’ syndicate
During today’s sitting, Matlala is expected to respond to allegations that a so-called “Big Five” criminal syndicate, allegedly involving politically connected business figures, penetrated law-enforcement structures and interfered with police work.
According to previous testimony by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee is probing claims of systemic corruption, criminal infiltration and improper political influence in policing and the wider justice system.
Matlala’s evidence has been earmarked as central to understanding how tender contracts, alleged cartels and police decision-making may have intersected.
Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo has indicated that officials have made special logistical and security arrangements to host MPs, support staff and legal teams inside the prison, emphasising that the environment has been adapted to allow the committee to conduct its work while Matlala remains in custody.
Who is Vusi Cat Matlala?
Matlala, who hails from Mamelodi, has over the past two years emerged as one of the most high-profile accused tenderpreneurs in the country.
In a recent episode of Swisher Post’s Crime Central SA podcast, he was described as one of South Africa’s most powerful and feared tenderpreneurs, with investigators alleging that companies linked to him built an “empire” that extended into state institutions, including the South African Police Service (SAPS) and provincial health departments.
According to that episode, one major focus of law-enforcement probes has been a R360 million SAPS healthcare contract awarded to Matlala’s company, Medicare24 Tshwane District.
On paper, the deal was meant to provide medical services to police officers, but investigators later flagged serious irregularities and payments that went out before the contract was fully scrutinised.
The podcast also details how companies linked to Matlala allegedly benefited from contracts at Gauteng’s Tembisa Hospital that were among those flagged by whistle-blower Babita Deokaran before she was murdered in 2021.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has since probed those transactions as part of a broader investigation into hospital procurement.
By 2025, Matlala’s name was appearing regularly in national headlines not only for alleged corruption, but also for violent crime allegations.
He is currently behind bars after being arrested earlier this year in connection with an alleged attempted assassination of his former partner, actress Tebogo Thobejane.
He was denied bail and remains in custody while those criminal matters proceed through the courts.
How to watch the Vusi Cat Matlala hearing live
Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee is scheduled to sit at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre for most of the day, with Matlala and his legal representatives expected to be in the hot seat for several hours as MPs test his version of events against earlier testimony and documentary evidence.
Readers can watch the proceedings as they unfold via the live stream embedded below.
