The Madlanga commission of inquiry into allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system on Friday heard how Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala told the investigating officers during a raid about a tender he secured from the SAPS and his connection with the police’s top officials, including revealing their names.
This happened on December 6 2024, when police conducted an operation at Matlala’s house, searching for abducted businessman Jerry Boshoga.
Witness C testified on Friday that in the first room they searched at Matlala’s home in Centurion, they found a Malawian, who indicated he was a general worker.
In that room, they found a torn bedsheet tied to a window, which resembled a white sheet seen in the ransom videos sent to Boshoga’s family.
“There was a white sheet that was distinctive and tied to the window as the curtain,” said witness C, who carried out the investigations at Matlala’s home.
He told the commission they searched the other rooms, where they found two guards waiting to start their shift, as they worked for Matlala’s security company.
There were a lot of vehicles at Matlala’s house, and while counting the vehicles, a white Toyota Corolla arrived at the property. The driver told witness C he was Matlala’s driver and had been told by Matlala to go to the house to fetch him.
While he was speaking to the driver at the gate, one of the 20 combat officers told him his commander was waiting for him in the house’s main bedroom.
When he arrived at the bedroom, he found Matlala, his wife Tsakani and the commander.
He testified that Matlala asked that his wife be excused from the bedroom. They then confiscated Matlala’s firearm for forensic testing, and his cellphones.
Witness C testified that Matlala told them during a recorded interview that he knew Boshoga and they had been friends since 2012, and had been engaged in criminal activities together.
Matlala also told police he had secured a R1.2bn tender from the SAPS.
“We never asked whether he had a tender with the SAPS. He started name-dropping senior police officials.”
Matlala then said he was closely connected to deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, SAPS crime intelligence head Feroz Khan and organised crime head Richard Shibiri.
“He told us he knew we were coming to his house that day. He told us he was tipped off by two calls.”
Witness C said Matlala told them he was tipped off by a Sgt FE Nkosi, and provided his particulars, showed them a bank account and a screenshot where Nkosi made an inquiry in the SAPS system.
“On that screenshot, his persal number was reflected.” They also did a profiling on Nkosi, confirming he was a police officer.
Matlala also told the police that Nkosi was his connection to Sibiya and “in most cases he would give Nkosi money through transfers for his personal use [and] for the general, he would summon Nkosi to come and collect the money packages”.
They investigated the allegations made by Matlala and found he did not have a R1.2bn tender with the police but a R360m tender.
“Furthermore, despite that he had a lot of cases opened against him, he had a close relationship with senior SAPS officials.”
Witness C testified that as Matlala was apparently informed of the police’s debriefing and of their departure from the special task force offices, he concluded Matlala had ample time to remove Boshoga.
“For him to be informed of our debriefing and our departure to his house shows he is well aware of the operations because he is connected with high-ranking officials,” he testified.
Also on that day, police arrested Katiso “KT” Molefe at his house in Sandhurst, Sandton, as three operations were conducted simultaneously, but in Witpoortjie, Molefe’s son Lucky Boitumelo Molefe was not found.
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