Explosive allegations by KwaZulu-Natal's top cop, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, have placed tenderpreneur Vusimusi "Cat" Matlala at the centre of a swirling scandal involving alleged patronage of Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and his predecessor, Bheki Cele. The claims position Matlala, already under investigation for the R2.3-billion Tembisa Hospital scandal, the attempted killing of his ex-lover, and the controversial award of a R360-million police tender, as a key figure in a web of impropriety within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
President Cyril Ramaphosa now faces the daunting task of addressing the most significant scandal to engulf the police since the arrest and trial of former police chief Jackie Selebi, with two police ministers he appointed now linked to a controversial businessman.
News24 can reveal that in January, Matlala granted Cele access to his opulent penthouse apartment on the top floors of The Capital Menlyn Maine, a luxury hotel in Pretoria.
On 27 January, shortly after 15:00, Matlala dispatched a message to the hotel’s corporate sales manager, laying the basis for a guest’s arrival.
“Good day, can you kindly do me a favour? There is a friend of mine, who’s also a business partner – he is former minister of police Bheki Cele. When he’s in Pretoria can you please ask management to inform staff at the front desk to grant him access to my penthouse?”
Three impeccable sources in law enforcement confirmed the veracity of this WhatsApp message.
The woman responded in the affirmative. Cele arrived on the same day.
Cele has denied any business dealings with Matlala, stating: "I have nothing to do with him when it comes to business… I am not in business."
“I spend a lot of time in Pretoria, and I stay in a lot of places … so, yes, I stayed at that place [Matlala’s penthouse]. I know him, but friends, no. I only met him this year,” Cele claimed.
He declined to elaborate on the extent of their relationship, only admitting to using Matlala’s penthouse twice.
The revelation of Cele's stays in Matlala's penthouse comes after a months-long News24 investigation, dubbed "9 Lives," which tracked Matlala's access to state procurement and his R360 million windfall through a police health services tender awarded in June last year.
Matlala's company, Medicare24 Tswane District, was paid R50 million through this contract before the deal was cancelled in April amid claims of fronting, fraud, and collusion. Matlala was the sole director of this company and won the tender despite being under investigation for Tembisa Hospital procurement fraud, with three shell companies he helmed flagged by whistleblower Babita Deokaran in the weeks before her assassination.
Following his SAPS tender windfall, Matlala and his family lived a lavish lifestyle, indulging in luxury clothing, supercars, cosmetic surgery, and opulent mansions. The tenderpreneur owns a palatial home in the Midstream Ridge gated estate on the outskirts of Pretoria, as well as a rental property in Pretoria’s Waterkloof Ridge with a monthly fee of R95 000.
Mkhwanazi's press conference on Sunday sent ripples through the criminal justice cluster, as he claimed that attempts to disband the Political Killings Task Team were made with an ulterior purpose. He presented WhatsApp messages from Matlala's phone, showing communication between the tenderpreneur and one Brown Mogotsi.
In these messages, Mogotsi positions himself close to Mchunu and informs Matlala that the task team has been dissolved. Mchunu has denied knowing Mogotsi.
“The task team that came to your house and harassed you [has] been dissolved; they got the letter on Monday. As we speak, they are bringing all dockets to Sibiya.”
Mkhwanazi said what Sibiya referred to was deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. Matlala and Sibiya are known to have met before.
The following day, Mogotsi sent Matlala a copy of a letter penned by Mchunu ordering the disbandment of the task team.
Matlala would benefit from the dissolution of the task team, whose members were seconded to work on a case in which he is alleged to have masterminded the botched hit on his former lover, Tebogo Thobejane, in October 2023.
Ten days later, Matlala sent Mogotsi proof of payment for R111 000, dispatched from the bank account of Medicare24 Tswane District, the vehicle through which Matlala landed the mammoth police tender.
The proof of payment is legitimate, News24 has established.
The money was paid to the FNB bank account of Gothle Specialist – a company based in the North West – run by Dorothy Lekhoaba.
Lekhoaba told News24 on Monday the money was “for Brown Mogotsi” but said she would have to check her records to confirm what it was for exactly.
She and Mogotsi share directorship of some companies, and Gothle Specialist’s registered address is located at a pub and restaurant in Mafikeng that Mogotsi can link to through Facebook profiles for the business, including company registrations.
In December, News24 revealed Matlala’s tender win. This deal was landed while Matlala was a focal point in parallel investigations by the Special Investigating Unit and the Hawks into a R2.3 billion Tembisa Hospital procurement scandal.
By the end of January, a preliminary internal audit report found Matlala’s company should never have been awarded the tender, the process should be criminally probed, and R18.5 million already paid should be declared irregular expenditure.
Cele’s penthouse jaunt occurred when police top brass indicated their intention to cancel the deal.
National police commissioner Fannie Masemola only acted on recommendations to terminate the tender 103 days after receiving the audit report. By the time the deal was torn up, Matlala’s company had been paid R50 million.
The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption is now conducting a criminal investigation into the tender award.
Mkhwanazi’s shock revelations come after high-profile arrests within Crime Intelligence, including top spook Dumisani Khumalo and other key lieutenants in his management structure.
In a statement released on Sunday, Ramaphosa called Mkhwanazi’s accusations “a matter of grave national security”.
“All parties to this matter are called upon to exercise discipline and restraint. The trading of accusations and counteraccusations threatens to undermine public confidence and sow confusion. Furthermore, these actions damage the unity and focus of the police,” he said.
Ramaphosa is expected to deal with the matter on his return from a state visit to Brazil on Wednesday. As the investigations continue and the political fallout unfolds, the spotlight remains firmly fixed on the alleged connections between powerful figures in the police and the murky world of tenderpreneurs.
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