Cele’s Zimbali Meeting With Tender Boss Raises Fresh Questions

In a development that has raised serious questions about the nature of his relationships, former police minister Bheki Cele held a secret meeting with controversial tenderpreneur Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala at a luxurious Zimbali Estate villa in Ballito. The seaside property is owned by Morgan Maumela, a businessman at the centre of a multi-million rand procurement scandal at Tembisa Hospital.

The meeting took place on 18 March 2025, less than a month before Matlala’s R360 million police health services contract was cancelled following allegations of fraud, collusion and fronting. The three-year deal had been adjudicated and signed off in June last year, while Cele still held office as police minister.

Cele maintains that his close relationship with Matlala began only after he left Cabinet. However, WhatsApp messages obtained by News24 suggest otherwise. The exchanges show Maumela generating access codes for Zimbali and forwarding them to Matlala, who in turn shared the details with Cele. One message read:

“Welcome! Your once-off Zimbali visitor entry/exit code is XXXX to visit Mo Mau at 1 at [address redacted], valid until 18 March 23:59PM.”

“Mo Mau” is a shortened version of Maumela’s full name. Shortly after receiving the code, Matlala texted Cele: “I’m sending location leading to the house now.”

Conflicting accounts

When asked about the meeting, Maumela insisted he knew nothing about it. “I’m not involved in those police things that are happening… I was never part of any meeting that was held. You can check my records,” he said. He nonetheless admitted to having issued entry codes to Matlala.

Maumela explained that he had merely helped Matlala gain access to Zimbali during a football trip. “There was, if you remember, on the 18th of March, a soccer [match]… Pirates [were] playing. He was in Durban as a football spectator and wanted to book a hotel at Zimbali. I assisted him in getting a code to go inside to book the hotel. I don’t know whether he booked.”

He denied giving Matlala free run of his properties. “I don’t give out houses to friends because you don’t know. Tomorrow… tomorrow there might be something.”

However, the timeline raised questions. When told that the Pirates game he referred to had been played in Johannesburg two days earlier, Maumela countered, “Maybe it was Chiefs.” Chiefs had in fact played Richards Bay FC in Umlazi two days prior. Asked to verify the details, Maumela said the March messages had been deleted.

Cele’s version differed. He said he was certain his meeting with Matlala was “at a house” rather than a hotel. He added that he did not know Maumela and had no relationship with him. Cele declined to disclose the subject of the meeting but said he was willing to testify before “an appropriate forum.”

Luxury property empire

Maumela’s Zimbali homes are part of a much larger real estate portfolio linked to the MHR Maumela Family Trust, which he manages alongside his mother and sister. The trust amassed property worth R310 million over five years. Purchases include a R75 million Bantry Bay home, a R32 million Camps Bay residence, and upmarket holdings in Sandton and Hartbeespoort.

Within Zimbali, the trust bought two mansions: one overlooking the estate’s golf course for R9.75 million in May 2018, and another perched on a ridge with sweeping views of the Indian Ocean for R25.38 million 18 months later. Together, the two properties span 3 223m² and are among the most sought-after coastal homes in KwaZulu-Natal.

Maumela is also a nephew of President Cyril Ramaphosa from his first marriage. The president has publicly distanced himself from him, saying in Parliament: “I don’t know this man.”

Timing under scrutiny

The March meeting came at a sensitive moment. Matlala’s underperformance in his SAPS contract was under investigation. An internal audit had flagged signs of fraud and bid rigging, prompting investigators to recommend cancellation. Less than a week after the Zimbali gathering, national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola wrote to Matlala, requesting reasons why the contract should not be terminated.

By May, the R360 million deal was scrapped. Around the same time, Matlala was arrested on charges of attempted murder, money laundering and defeating the ends of justice, linked to an alleged hit attempt on his former partner, actress and socialite Tebogo Thobejane.

A deeper network

Matlala’s relationship with Maumela predates the police contract. A News24 investigation into the 2021 assassination of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran linked both men to questionable dealings at Tembisa Hospital. Using 60 000 Gauteng Department of Health emails and data from Deokaran’s cellphone, investigators identified Maumela as the figure behind a procurement syndicate that channelled more than R380 million through 21 companies controlled by friends, family and romantic partners.

Matlala appeared in the records too. He was connected to three companies trading with the hospital. In one tender for surgical equipment, documents showed his and Maumela’s companies bidding against each other. Behind the paperwork, however, forged company registrations and falsified intellectual property certificates concealed their beneficial ownership.

The supposed directors were two women from Limpopo: one an unemployed security guard, the other a municipal pool cleaner. Both later told News24 their signatures had been forged and that they knew nothing about the companies or the multimillion-rand tenders.

Mounting pressure

Both Maumela and Matlala remain central figures in parallel investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Hawks into Tembisa Hospital contracts. Progress has been slow, but pressure is growing. KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has accused Matlala of cultivating access to senior police officials and politicians, effectively capturing parts of the state.

These allegations have rattled police leadership. Current police minister Senzo Mchunu was recently placed on leave and replaced by Professor Firoz Cachalia. At the same time, Cele’s ties to Matlala have attracted parliamentary scrutiny, with the former minister listed as a witness in an upcoming inquiry.

The Madlanga Commission, established to examine claims of police capture, is set to hold its first hearings on 17 September. On the same day, Matlala is expected to return to the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court for judgment on his bail application.

A tangled triangle

Cele now finds himself uncomfortably close to two of the most controversial figures in recent public procurement scandals. Matlala, the man whose SAPS contract collapsed under fraud allegations, sits in custody facing attempted murder charges. Maumela, the alleged mastermind of the Tembisa Hospital procurement web, controls luxury properties worth hundreds of millions.

Despite his denials, Cele’s meeting at Zimbali – arranged via Maumela’s gate codes and Matlala’s messages – has cemented the perception of proximity. Whether or not the former minister knew the villa belonged to Maumela, the optics are troubling.

For investigators and parliamentary watchdogs, the question is no longer whether Cele and Matlala met. It is what was discussed in the comfort of a Zimbali mansion, at the precise moment a multimillion-rand police tender was hanging by a thread.

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