SAPS Inquiry | Matlala tied to 80 corruption cases, police corruption network - Masemola
Alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has been named in explosive testimony linking him to senior police officials and organised crime networks.
Image: Itumeleng English / IOL / Independent Media
National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola revealed there about 80 cases linked to alleged cartel member and controversial businessman Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala that date back to 2007.
Masemola said this during his testimony on Friday before the Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating ground breaking corruption in the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“It (Matlala’s cases) goes far back as 2007,” he said, admitting that the police has faced challenges.
Masemola maintained that investigations into the matters were ongoing but not elaborate more details.
“I do agree but we have discovered it ourselves and we doing something about it.”
Matlala, believed to be connected to fraudulent transactions in Tembisa Hospital, was arrested in 2025 on unrelated charges.
He was arrested in April for allegedly orchestrating the 2023 attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane. He is currently in custody after being denied bail.
The case has also led to a wider investigation into police corruption.
Matlala is accused of orchestrating a web of criminal activity ranging from attempted murder to high-level corruption and fraud, according to recent revelations by law enforcement and investigative bodies.
The state alleged that Matlala paid hired hitmen in an attempted assassination plot, supported by evidence of significant bank transfers made to his co-accused shortly after the attack.
In a further attempt to evade authorities, he is believed to have used fraudulent documents — including a forged Eswatini ID — to conceal his identity and whereabouts.
The state also contended that Matlala attempted to destroy digital evidence after police returned his mobile devices following a search. These actions, they argue, were aimed at obstructing the investigation and concealing his broader criminal operations.
Here is a graphic that Lt-Gen. Dumisani Khumalo used to illustrate the three members of the cartel, whom he said he will not reveal at this stage due to ongoing investigations. Katiso Molefe and Vusimuzi Matlala are part of the Big Five cartel.
Image: Kamogelo Moichela/IOL News
Most damning are revelations which IOL reported about, from the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into police corruption, which identified Matlala as a key figure in a powerful criminal syndicate known as the "Big Five."
The cartel is reportedly involved in drug trafficking, vehicle hijackings, and contract killings.
Testimony before the Commission has implicated Matlala in corrupt dealings with senior police officials and former police ministers.
He is also linked to the massive R2 billion fraud and corruption scandal at Tembisa Hospital — a case first exposed by whistleblower Babita Deokaran, who was later assassinated.
Matlala’s company, Medicare24, was controversially awarded a R360 million health services contract by the SAPS, despite lacking any proven track record in the sector.
The contract was subsequently cancelled amid mounting allegations of fraud and collusion.
Investigators further allege that Matlala funnelled illicit funds to sponsor ANC events and paid bribes aimed at securing influence over police leadership to shield his criminal enterprise from scrutiny.
These alleged transactions were reportedly facilitated through North West businessman Brown Mogotsi, who has ties to the now-suspended Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu.
Mogotsi has been prominently named in multiple investigations linking police officials to organized crime networks.
When questioned, however, Mogotsi distanced himself from the controversy, stating simply, “Matlala did not tell me that he is a thief.”
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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