Ex-police minister Bheki Cele was an ‘extortionist’ who asked me for R1m, says ‘Cat’ Matlala

A missing friend, bags of money and even manicures were discussed when Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, an awaiting-trial prisoner who is central to South Africa’s law enforcement scandal, continued testifying before Parliament’s ad hoc committee on Thursday, 27 November.

Matlala, who faces charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud and defeating the ends of justice, appeared before the committee at Pretoria’s Kgosi Mampuru Prison, where he is incarcerated.

Aside from those charges, he has also been accused of being part of a crime cartel known as the Big Five.

Matlala denied this on Thursday.

It was his second day as a witness before the committee that is investigating accusations that a drug trafficking cartel has infiltrated South Africa’s criminal justice system, and political and private security sectors.

As on the previous day, Matlala appeared in leg irons and high-end fashion.

On Thursday, he opted for a black Fendi ensemble, with the shirt alone, based on an online search, costing roughly R22,000.

When Patriotic Alliance MP Ashley Sauls asked Matlala if he loved money, he replied: “Yes, I do.”

Members of the #AdHocCommittee engaging with Mr Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala following his evidence in chief during the second day of hearings at the Kgoši Mampuru Correctional Centre in Tshwane. #7thParliament #Mkhwanazi pic.twitter.com/3HJ2wijYbF

— Justice-and-security-Cluster (@JustSecuCluster) November 27, 2025

Earlier, he was asked to address the mother of a friend who was reported as kidnapped last year, who was apparently watching the ad hoc proceedings, and who believed Matlala was behind the incident.

Matlala also, on request, delivered a message to the kidnappers.

Police raid

There was also a focus on a 6 December 2024 police raid at Matlala’s home in Pretoria.

During the raid, Matlala was asked about Jerry Boshoga, who had been reported as kidnapped on 18 November, in Centurion. He is still missing.

On Thursday, Matlala testified that Boshoga was a good friend of his, and he had lent him R1-million. Boshoga still had to repay him around R100,000, he said.

Boshoga was involved with cattle farming, and Matlala understood this was what the money was needed for.

Read more: Unearthing policing skulduggery – A crime cartel, a kidnapping and an ‘informant’

He testified that on the night of Boshoga’s kidnapping, Boshoga’s brother contacted him.

Matlala said that Boshoga told his brother he needed his help to fetch 20-litre drums.

“Inside the drums is some stuff that Jerry used to buy to manufacture his narcotics,” Matlala testified.

He was not sure what kind of drug would be made.

ActionSA’s Dereleen James asked Matlala what action he took after learning that his friend was dealing drugs, most of which were being sold in townships.

Matlala replied: “I am not okay with it, but I wouldn’t judge him.”

‘Like a young brother to me’

The EFF’s Julius Malema told Matlala that Boshoga’s mother had contacted him (Malema) and asked Matlala “to return” her son, because she believed Matlala was behind the kidnapping.

Matlala said she was being misled by the very people who had put him in jail.

Malema told Matlala to address Boshoga’s mother, as she was watching Thursday’s proceedings.

Matlala responded: “I’ll say, Mama, you know me and your son are very, very close friends… Your son was like a young brother to me. I would never do anything to harm your son or your family. I’m sorry.”

Malema asked Matlala if he thought Boshoga was still alive.

Matlala did not answer this directly. Instead, he said, “Honestly … at some point [he] will end up being a liability to his abductors … so, it’s a very hard one to accept, but obviously when you add one and one together…”

Malema also asked Matlala to address Boshoga’s kidnappers.

Matlala said: “What we need now is closure … just release him because he’s diabetic”.

Cele ‘wanted R1m’

On Wednesday, Matlala alleged that he gave former police minister Bheki Cele R500,000.

On Thursday, he ramped this up, testifying: “He asked for money … he actually wanted R1-million.”

Evidence leader advocate Norman Arendse SC asked why this was not included in Matlala’s typed statement to the committee.

He replied: “I forget a lot of things. I’m locked in a cell for 23 hours a day … so, my brain is not functioning well.”

Read more: ‘Cele lied’ — Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala alleges he made R500K payoff to former police minister

According to Matlala, he gave R300,000 cash to Cele around January as a “facilitation fee” after firearms that the police had seized from him were returned, and to stop the officers from harassing him.

The cash was allegedly handed to Cele in Matlala’s Pretoria apartment in the presence of Bongani “Mabonga” Mpungose, who, like Matlala, was involved in private security, and whose father was a taxi industry boss in KwaZulu-Natal.

Matlala said Mpungose and Cele were close.

Mpungose was fatally shot at the Solo Sandton restaurant in Johannesburg on 6 March.

‘The money bag’

Matlala told the ad hoc committee on Thursday that he made a second payment, of R200,000, to Cele at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Umhlanga around March this year.

The two sums of cash were withdrawn from ATMs and carried in Woolworths shopping bags that Matlala on Thursday described as “the money bag”.

Matlala was asked if he and Cele had met at least four times at a venue in Menlyn, Pretoria, where they received manicures.

Matlala denied this.

He said Cele was an “extortionist.”

However, Cele’s version of their interactions is somewhat different.

He has told the ad hoc committee that he met Matlala at the Beverly Hills Hotel through Mpungose in December last year.

Read more: Cele tells Parliament of Beverly Hills Hotel meeting with ‘Cat’ Matlala, who he 'knew very well'

According to Cele’s testimony, Matlala told him that now suspended Deputy National Commissioner of Crime Detection, Shadrack Sibiya, wanted him to write an affidavit against Dumisani Khumalo, who headed Crime Intelligence.

(Khumalo, along with six colleagues, was arrested over an allegedly irregular appointment in June. They denied the charges they face.)

Cele had not mentioned money exchanging hands as Matlala alleged, but said he had twice stayed at Matlala’s penthouse in Pretoria for free.

Keeping it in the family

Another issue focused on during Thursday’s proceedings was the awarding of a R360-million police contract to Matlala’s company Medicare24 Tshwane District. The contract was subsequently cancelled.

Malema asked why Matlala had “resigned” from the company and transferred its ownership to his sister.

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

Matlala said he did this because the allegations against him were likely to tarnish the company’s image.

Malema accused him of fronting, as he had retained his shares.

Matlala replied, “It’s not like I was using her; she’s family … she was getting a salary.”

At the time of cancelling the Medicare24 contract, Matlala had already been paid R48-million, the ad hoc committee heard.

Matlala and Mkhwanazi

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is the source of the accusations that sparked the creation of the ad hoc committee.

Matlala testified on Thursday that he met Mkhwanazi in April at The Pearls of Umhlanga, an apartment and shopping complex.

This meeting, Matlala said, was planned by Cele after Matlala had complained to Cele about “not getting purchase orders and my payments are being delayed” from the police.

It appeared this was related to the Medicare24 contract.

Matlala said his close friend, KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major General Lesetja Senona, drove him to meet Mkhwanazi.

(Senona is set to testify in January at a hearing running parallel to the ad hoc committee and investigating the same accusations, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.)

At the meeting, Mkhwanazi allegedly told Matlala about Lieutenant General Lineo Nkhuoa, the police’s human resources head.

Matlala understood that to be helped with his contract, he would need to assist Nkhuoa and Mkhwanazi with some issues.

‘I was a street kid’

During Thursday's proceedings, Matlala revealed details about his childhood.

“I was actually a street kid,” he told MPs.

Matlala explained that his mother had albinism and was raped because of a belief that “if you can rape an albino, you can get cured from whatever”.

This traumatised his mother, who abandoned Matlala, and he had to take care of himself.

He said that when he subsequently found his mother, she was terminally ill and later died.

At times, Thursday’s proceedings became heated.

Throughout it all, Matlala portrayed himself as a businessman who happened to know several police officers, including former acting commissioner Khomotso Phahlane.

‘You’re a crook’

The DA’s Glynnis Breytenbach was having none of it, though.

“You are not the naive person you’re trying to portray. In my view, Mr Matlala, you’re not a businessman, you’re a crook … and you’re corrupt,” she said.

Breytenbach read out a list of criminal charges that Matlala faced over the years.

He was convicted of a residential robbery in 2001 and spent four years in jail.

Other cases included a 2006 cash-in-transit crime for which he was acquitted, a 2012 house robbery matter that was withdrawn, and a 2018 attempted murder accusation that was also withdrawn.

Breytenbach pointed out that his background was chequered and involved several criminal cases against him falling away while he happened to be friends with police officers.

The DA’s Ian Cameron accused Matlala of being at the centre of a corrupt network.

“You are the central figure in this corrupt enterprise. You’ve caused significant damage in your dealings,” Cameron told Matlala.

Matlala finished his testimony on Thursday evening. DM