MBABANE – The Eswatini government has taken decisive action by suspending a senior official suspected of aiding Vusi “Cat” Matlala in obtaining a fraudulent identity document from the kingdom.
Nonhlanhla Malambe, who works within the Civil Registry Department (part of Eswatini's Department of Home Affairs), has been served with a suspension letter by the Civil Service Commission (CSC). This suspension is pending a high-level investigation into her alleged role in the matter, which has been widely reported in Eswatini.
The Times of Eswatini first broke the story earlier this year, revealing that Matlala is known as Vusimuzi Dlamini within Eswatini and is purportedly from Motshane, a village near Mbabane.
The investigation centres around how Matlala's details were added to a family profile in the Eswatini population register. He is currently listed as the second-born child of Christinah Thembi Shongwe of Motshane. However, the Times of Eswatini reports that Shongwe's actual second-born child is not Matlala, leaving authorities perplexed as to how his information appeared in her family record.
Adding to the mystery, the registry entry lacks details of Matlala's purported father. Shongwe recently told the newspaper that she received no payment or other gratification for the alleged fraudulent activity.
The issue of Matlala's Eswatini ID resurfaced last week during the testimony of Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo of the SAPS’ Crime Intelligence at the Madlanga commission sitting in Pretoria. Khumalo revealed that Matlala is also saved as “Dlamini” in the phone book of Brown Mogotsi, an alleged associate of suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu. This information came to light during the reading of WhatsApp conversations between Matlala and Mogotsi at the commission.
Further raising concerns, reports from late last month indicated that Matlala's passport revealed he entered Eswatini and then illegally re-entered South Africa. This information was presented during Matlala’s bail hearing, where it was argued that he is a flight risk. According to official records, Matlala is technically still in Eswatini.
Police investigations have revealed that Matlala crossed the border into Eswatini in April 2024 but was not detected by Home Affairs immigration officials upon his return to South Africa. This breach of border control is a key part of the ongoing investigation.
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