KZN Hawks boss details ‘Cat’ Matlala’s meeting with Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi

Appearing before the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday, 27 January, KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major General Lesetja Senona was grilled over a meeting he allegedly arranged and attended with controversial businessman and attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on 15 April 2025.

This meeting was allegedly arranged to discuss why SAPS was not issuing purchase orders linked to Matlala’s company, Medicare 24 Tshwane District, which had irregularly been awarded a R360-million contract by SAPS to provide health screening services, which was later cancelled.

At the time, the KZN-based Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was investigating Matlala and his alleged associates in a range of cases. Investigations by the PKTT, which Mkhwanazi has consistently defended, led to Matlala’s arrest.

The December 2024 disbandment of the PKTT led Mkhwanazi to go public in July 2025 with claims that organised crime members, including Matlala, had allegedly infiltrated policing within South Africa, as well as potentially funding politicians and political parties.

Senona denied arranging the April 2025 meeting, saying it had been organised by former police minister Bheki Cele, who Senona said didn’t attend the meeting. Senona maintained that he merely accompanied Matlala, whom he claimed was uncomfortable meeting Mkhwanazi alone.

According to Senona, Mkhwanazi agreed to assist Matlala with purchase orders and offered to halt an investigation against him related to the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane, in exchange for information on suspended deputy national commissioner of crime detection Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, who was allegedly close to Matlala.

The contents of the April meeting were reflected in a series of WhatsApp messages sent by Mkhwanazi to Senona, which were allowed to be read into the record at the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday after extensive deliberation, on condition that certain names be omitted.

Senona received the messages on 26 November 2025, the same day Matlala testified from Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Parliament’s ad hoc committee, which is probing the same issues as the Madlanga Commission.

“I knew that [Matlala] had problems with his orders. I viewed the messages sent to me as threatening and a warning to be careful.”

Read more: Inside Cat Matlala’s R360m police tender that ‘shouldn’t have been awarded’

In the ad hoc hearing in November 2025, Matlala testified that Cele arranged the meeting with Mkhwanazi after he complained to the former minister about not receiving purchase orders and experiencing payment delays.

In a message sent by Mkhwanazi to Senona in November, he wrote: “Hi General, I trust you are well. You made arrangements for me to meet this guy, ‘Cat’, because he is your friend and brother and he needed my help to speak to a general to place orders related to his contract.”

Mkhwanazi continued that “Cat” volunteered information about a house address in Sandton where Sibiya allegedly collected money using a state vehicle, and claimed that he had paid R2-million towards Sibiya’s purchase of plots. He further alleged that Matlala told him about Sibiya’s townhouse.

Read more: Shadrack Sibiya caught in the middle of glory and scandal

Mkhwanazi further wrote that the fact that he had introduced the meeting at the ad hoc parliamentary committee and, in his view, lied under oath, compelled him to consider making public the information Matlala had shared with him — despite the risk it could pose to Matlala’s life.

Mkhwanazi stated that he would still be appearing before the committee and hoped Matlala would not object to his disclosing the information. He added that he hoped Senona would not blame him for potentially placing Matlala’s life at risk, saying he had a duty to tell the truth about their meeting.

Mkhwanazi concluded by stating that if Matlala believed he could mislead the committee, that was his choice, but that he would limit his own testimony to playing a verbatim recording of their meeting.

Senona did not reply to the messages and forwarded them to his legal counsel.

He said on Tuesday: “I had never arranged the meetings as claimed by police commissioner Mkhwanazi. I merely accompanied Matlala to the meeting in April 2025 because he felt uncomfortable to speak to this police commissioner alone.”

Despite appearing at both the Madlanga Commission and ad hoc committee, Mkhwanazi hasn’t spoken publicly about the supposed meeting with Matlala.

Commissioner Sesi Baloyi questioned multiple aspects of Senona’s testimony. She pointed out that he didn’t reply to Mkhwanazi’s WhatApps to dispute that he organised the Matlala meeting.

She also pointed out that Senona never denied telling Mkhwanazi that he had grown up with Matlala.

“I find it curious that at no point until now have you asked questions or corrected what you describe as factual inaccuracies and lies. What is your explanation?” she put to Senona.

In response, Senona said it was a human error and emphasised that he was still under oath. He disputed Mkhwanazi’s claim that he and Matlala had grown up together, stating that Matlala was from Mamelodi, while he was from Soshanguve, and that there was no way they could have grown up together.

Speaking about the nature of his relationship with Matlala, Senona told the commission that they met around 2019 in Pretoria during his traditional wedding. He said Matlala was introduced to him by a relative of his wife.

“I took a liking to him, and we exchanged numbers. When a person approaches you humbly, you are drawn to them. When someone greets you with respect, it leaves a mark. Humble yourself and the Lord will lift you up. I considered him a friend and a younger brother in our culture,” Senona said.

He told the commission that although his wife and Matlala shared the same surname, they were not related. He added that their relationship developed over the years, involving shared WhatsApp messages, and that when they met, it was always of a social nature.

Senona further stated that he had only assisted by introducing Matlala to a third party, explaining that he could not provide details about contracts involving “Cat VIP” or any third party.

“My assistance was limited to introductions. I advised him to conduct risk assessments from time to time and to ensure proper engagements,” he said.

However, the friendship appeared to have crossed a line when Senona forwarded a leaked letter concerning the disbandment of the PKTT to Matlala on 1 January 2025. Senona explained that the letter had already been circulating on social media and was in the public domain, and that he had simply shared it with a friend.

Senona was, however, unable to explain to the commission what significance the disbandment letter may have held for Matlala. The commission noted this and found it unusual that he chose to share the document with him. DM