THE walls of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria reverberated with explosive allegations on Thursday as a police detective, shrouded in anonymity for his own protection, painted a damning portrait of corruption reaching the highest echelons of South Africa’s law enforcement.
In testimony that could shake the foundations of the criminal justice system, the officer known only as “Witness C” detailed a web of alleged million-rand kickbacks, criminally funded political campaigns, and a businessman who claimed to have bought influence at the very top of the police service.
At the centre of the storm stands suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, accused of receiving kickbacks of R1 million per month from criminals. Equally explosive are claims that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s alleged ANC presidential campaign was bankrolled by the very criminals his ministry was supposed to be fighting.
The allegations were not plucked from thin air. They emerged from a recorded interview conducted on the day police arrested businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a man who had secured lucrative SAPS tenders worth millions and now sits in custody facing an attempted murder charge for the 2023 shooting of his ex-girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane.
A Businessman’s Confessions
According to Witness C’s riveting testimony, Matlala’s arrest unleashed a torrent of revelations about his alleged relationships with some of the country’s most powerful law enforcement figures. When officers took him into custody, Matlala claimed he had just come from the Midrand home of former National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega, a detail that immediately raised eyebrows at the commission. Phiyega has rejected the allegations, claiming, in a statement, that she has never met Matlala.
But it was what followed that truly captivated those present. Matlala allegedly described how he was introduced to Mchunu, who harboured ambitions to run for the ANC presidency. Ministers, he claimed, were actively seeking donors for the campaign.
“He said he was introduced to Mchunu, who had ambitions to run for the ANC presidency, and that the minister was seeking donors for his campaign. Matlala said he contributed to that campaign,” Witness C told the commission, his voice steady despite the gravity of his words.
The price of access? Approximately R500,000, Matlala claimed, channelled through his company Gotlhe Specialists to fund flights, accommodation, and entertainment for Mchunu and his delegation attending the ANC’s January 8 celebrations in Cape Town. The list of delegates was allegedly supplied by Brown Mogotsi, a prominent North West businessman with deep ANC connections, who served as the alleged conduit for payments to Mchunu.
The Elite Hawks Commander Implicated
The tentacles of alleged corruption extended beyond Sibiya and Mchunu. Witness C implicated General Major General Lesetja Senona from the Hawks, South Africa’s elite crime-fighting unit, claiming he too received monthly payments from Matlala. The businessman, it seemed, had cultivated a network of relationships at the highest levels of law enforcement.
When Protection Crumbled
The relationship between Matlala and his alleged protectors began to fracture on December 6, 2024, when police raided his home while searching for abducted businessman Jerry Boshoga. Matlala complained bitterly to Mchunu and Mogotsi, but claimed no action was taken to shield him.
Instead, according to Witness C, Mchunu allegedly enlisted the State Security Agency to identify who was investigating Matlala, deploying grabber devices in a counter-surveillance operation. Mogotsi allegedly obtained registration numbers of vehicles used by members of Gauteng counterintelligence operations and the political killings task team.
Desperate to salvage the situation, Mchunu and Mogotsi advised Matlala to open a case at Brooklyn SAPS in Pretoria, claiming that watches belonging to him and his wife had been stolen during the raid. Colonel Smanga Simelane, head of crime intelligence for the Soweto area, allegedly assisted in opening the fabricated case. Matlala was urged to lodge complaints with the police watchdog, Ipid, and to have his wife open an assault case against the raiding officers, though he refused to involve her.
The Compliance Inspection That Changed Everything
The façade began to crack on December 18 and 19, when a compliance inspection was conducted at Matlala’s security company. Discrepancies were found, and arrest loomed on the horizon.
Witness C testified that Matlala became increasingly frustrated, believing “the minister, Mogotsi and deputy national commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya were using him but failing to protect him.” He suspected he was being used as a pawn to target crime intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo and was even advised to open a case against him.
“He said when he realised he was no longer receiving the protection he expected from the minister, he went to KwaZulu-Natal to meet former minister Bheki Cele,” Witness C revealed. “Cele advised him not to fabricate cases against the police, though Matlala claimed to have told Cele about a Rolex watch he said was stolen, which he was actually wearing at the meeting.”
The irony was not lost on the commission: a businessman allegedly complaining about a stolen watch while wearing it demonstrated the brazenness with which false cases were allegedly being manufactured.
The Final Betrayal
After the meeting with Cele, Matlala tried unsuccessfully to contact KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Lieutenant-General Khumalo. The walls were closing in.
When police finally arrested him, Matlala was a man abandoned by those he claimed to have enriched. His SAPS tender contract had been cancelled the day before his arrest, leaving him bitter and vengeful. According to Witness C, Matlala sent a chilling message to Mogotsi: he had recorded everything and planned to expose Mchunu and his alleged criminal dealings in an affidavit to the police.
The Bigger Picture
The Alexandra magistrate’s court had already found that Matlala posed a danger to society and may interfere with state witnesses when it denied him bail on the attempted murder charge. Now, through Witness C’s testimony, the commission was hearing that this same man claimed to have been intimately connected to the upper reaches of South Africa’s law enforcement establishment.
The allegations paint a picture of a system where businessmen with criminal connections allegedly bought protection and influence through monthly kickbacks and political donations. Where ministers allegedly used state security apparatus for personal protection. Where false cases were manufactured and where loyalty could be purchased for the right price.
Both Sibiya and Mchunu now stand suspended, their careers hanging in the balance as the Madlanga Commission continues to peel back the layers of alleged corruption in the criminal justice system. The testimony of Witness C, protected by anonymity but armed with recorded evidence, has provided the commission with a roadmap of alleged criminality that reaches from a businessman’s security company all the way to the office of the Minister of Police.
As the commission adjourns, one question lingers in the air: if these allegations are proven true, how deep does the rot go, and how many more powerful figures will fall before the truth is finally laid bare?
The Madlanga Commission continues its hearings, with the nation watching and waiting for answers. All the implicated individuals are expected to come before the Commission to tell their side of the story.
