Former police minister Bheki Cele has been implicated in shocking claims at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
Bheki Cele thrust into Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala underworld ties
On Friday, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi testified that Cele and controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala exchanged money last year.
Mkhwanazi made this statement during the third day of public hearings at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
The inquiry is led by retired Constitutional Court judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga and is looking into allegations of corruption, political interference, and links between police and criminal syndicates.
According to Mkhwanazi, police found WhatsApp messages showing communication between Cele and Matlala. These were discovered when investigators downloaded data from Matlala’s phone in December 2024.
“From December 2024, Matlala and Cele were communicating. They have a close relationship. And there was even an exchange of monies between the two of them,” Mkhwanazi told the commission.
The revelations add to growing concerns about the depth of corruption in law enforcement. Cele, who left his post earlier this year, has not yet publicly responded to the testimony.
Who is Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala?
Matlala is no stranger to controversy.
In 2024, he won a police health services tender worth R360 million. However, national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola cancelled the deal on 13 May 2024, just one day before Matlala was arrested.
He is now facing serious criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, fraud, and money laundering. These charges are linked to the October 2023 shooting of his ex-girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane, a socialite and actress who survived the attack but later fled the country.
Matlala (49) is in custody at Kgosi Mampuru correctional centre in Pretoria after being denied bail by the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court. He is charged alongside:
- His wife Tsakani (36),
- Alleged hitmen Musa Kekana (35) and Tiego Floyd Mabusela (47), and
- Nthabiseng Nzama (23), the daughter of one of the accused.
The case is due back in court on 7 October 2025.
The Madlanga Commission will continue hearings on Monday at 09:30 (SAST).