Madlanga Commission: ‘Cat’ Matlala fears for his life, claims Sibiya is a criminal

Attempted murder-accused Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala claimed that he feared for his life, naming suspended Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, suspended deputy national police commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant General Sibiya and their associates.

This was after Matlala had planned to file an affidavit in the High Court with incriminating evidence against Mchunu. He stated that he was also ‘frustrated and angry’ with Sibiya, whom he labelled as a criminal, and that he (Sibiya) had failed to stop the police from descending upon Matlala’s home and businesses, despite Matlala financially supporting him. 

Matlala claimed he had continued to play along with Sibiya, because he feared that the general would kill him if he found out Matlala was no longer on his side. Matlala said they referred to Sibiya behind his back as the ‘Pitbull’.

This was revealed to the Madlanga Commission by Witness C, a member of the Gauteng counterintelligence operations unit (GCI ops), who was deployed from the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).

The GCI ops is made up of detectives from the Gauteng Organised Crime unit, members of the PKTT and combat units.

Witness C said that Matlala told the detectives that he spilled the beans because he feared for his life, saying that he knew that the ‘Pitbull’ (Sibiya) would eliminate him if he found out that he had changed allegiance.

The interview happened on May 14, 2025, at Boksburg Police Station, when Matlala was arrested for the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, Teboho Thobejane.

“Mr Matlala expressed a lot of frustration against General Sibiya, saying that after the raid of December 06, 2024, he was promised that any actions by ‘us’ (GCI ops) against him would be diffused. So, when we went to his company’s premises on the 18th of December 2024, and the 19th of December 2024, then he (Matlala) became frustrated.

"He said, despite the fact that Lieutenant-General Sibiya is the deputy national commissioner, and he had promised him that the police wouldn’t return to his home or business premises, the team still proceeded to his premises and conducted the compliance inspection, during which his company’s firearms were seized,” Witness C said. 

He added that when Sibiya failed to stop GCI ops from descending upon Matlala’s home and businesses, he was frustrated because he (Matlala) had been playing his part by financially supporting the general.

According to Witness C, Matlala said, “I’m playing my part in paying the general, but he is not assisting me in preventing all these raids by the police.”

“He indicated to me that General Sibiya is a criminal himself, and he kept repeating those words,” Witness C stated.

The witness further said that Matlala indicated that he was ‘very frustrated and angry’ at Sibiya.

According to Witness C, Matlala said that “we (Matlala and his associates) call General Sibiya the Pitbull’”. So now, for his safety, he would just play along with him (Sibiya), fearing that should General Sibiya find out that Matlala has changed sides, it would be the end of his life.”

The witness said Matlala told the detectives he had planned to file an affidavit in court with incriminating evidence against Mchunu.

“Mr Matlala indicated that on the morning of his arrest, he had written to Brown Mogotsi informing him that he is going to make an affidavit to the High Court and implicate the minister because of his criminality, after he (Matlala) refused to open a case against the team of the police, the minister cancelled his contract with the SAPS. He (Mchunu) has instructed General Fannie Masemola to cancel the contract,” the witness said.

In the audio clip played at the Commission on Thursday, Matlala said: “I know I’m not safe, because today I sent a message to (Mogotsi) telling him that now I’m going to make an affidavit to the High Court and tell everything about the minister (Mchunu).”

Mogotsi had been named as an information peddler with access to high ranking police in previous testimony.

Witness C said that Matlala told the detectives that he had realised that Mchunu, Sibiya, and their associates were using him to fight their own battles, yet they were not assisting him.

The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry is investigating allegations of collusion and corruption between politicians, senior police, prosecutors, intelligence operatives, and elements of the judiciary, levelled by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

The testimony will resume on Monday.

gcwalisile.khanyile@inl.co.za