Illustrative Image: Brown Mogotsi. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu) | Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala. (Photo: Gallo Images / Sharon Seretlo) | Senzo Mchunu (Photo: Gallo Images / Mlungisi Louw) 
Evidence before the Madlanga Commission revealed more details about controversial ANC-aligned North West businessman Brown Mogotsi’s alleged improper relationship with the sidelined police minister Senzo Mchunu. Mogotsi even allegedly knew of the decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) before the official letter was issued.
In Parliament, it emerged that the R360-million contract awarded to a company owned by Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala should not have been given in the first place. Matlala is alleged to have tried to fund Mchunu’s political ambitions.
What happened at the Madlanga Commission?
Evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson showed a series of messages on the secure social media platform Signal between Mchunu and Mogotsi, which he later forwarded on WhatsApp to alleged underworld boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
This included the PKTT disbandment letter, which was sent from Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde, to national commissioner Fannie Masemola’s office at 5.20 pm on 31 December 2024.
That letter was eventually shared on social media on 2 January 2025.
Mogotsi denied having prior knowledge of the disbandment, but evidence showed Mogotsi’s message to Matlala was sent some six hours before the disbandment letter was sent.
Read more: Brown Mogotsi grilled on his alleged advance knowledge of the PKTT’s disbandment
Mogotsi made startling claims in his testimony: alleging that KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and King Misuzulu were CIA agents. This is unproven and Mogotsi was criticised for making allegations without evidence.
Read more: From CIA to Crime Intelligence: Brown Mogotsi’s testimony in five sensational claims
Earlier in the week, South African Police Services (SAPS) Component Head of the Serious and Violent Crime Division, Major-General Mary Motsepe, testified.
Motsepe testified that 121 KwaZulu-Natal political murder dockets were transferred to SAPS head office on 28 March 2025 for what was described as a routine one-day audit. The files were supposed to be returned to the province the same day.
But by 19 May, they were still locked away in a strongroom, untouched and gathering dust. Motsepe said she later assembled a team to begin investigating the cases, but the work could not continue after funding for the operation was not approved.
Why it matters
Mogotsi’s barrage of frivolous claims in a single day did significant damage to his credibility. It opened the door for Chaskalson to tear into his allegations and portray him as a liar. At the end of the inquiry, the commission will assess his testimony in its entirety to determine whether any of it carries weight. On the face of it, however, his claims appear little more than a thumb-suck.
His messages with Mchunu also appeared to undermine the sidelined minister’s claim that Mogotsi was just “a comrade” and not “an associate”. There appeared to be a direct line of information between Mchunu and Matlala, through Mogotsi, although Mchunu has denied he had any relationship with the organised crime accused Matlala.
Mary de Haas, tenders and Nkabinde
Within Parliament, the connections between Mchunu, Matlala and Mogotsi and the disbandment of the PKTT also played out.
Violence researcher Mary de Haas had previously written to Mchunu, raising concerns with the PKTT. She told MPs all she wanted was for investigations into the PKTT.
Mchunu claimed in Parliament that De Haas’s letter was one of the reasons for the disbandment of the task team.
She faced a grilling from MPs about her evidence, which touched on concerns around expenditure and allegations of torture and abuse by the PKTT.
When Nkabinde returned this week, attention shifted to Mchunu and Mogotsi.
Nkabinde said it was Mchunu who gave him Mogotsi's number ahead of a planned meeting around mining operations in the North West.
Speaking of Matlala, on Thursday, Lieutenant General Molefe Fani, divisional commissioner of supply chain management within SAPS, testified that a contract worth R360-million was not supposed to be given to Medicare 24 Tshwane District (Pty) Ltd, a company owned by Matlala.
The contract involved services dealing with retirement due to ill health, wellness screenings and medical assessments before employment.
Eventually, after several attempts by MPs to understand how and why Matlala’s company got the contract, Fani conceded, “Based on the issues picked up… this tender should not have been awarded.”
The Madlanga Commission will resume on Tuesday, 25 November. The parliamentary ad hoc committee will resume next week, with a visit to Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria, where Matlala is being held in detention. DM