Controversial businessman Brown Mogotsi says former police minister Bheki Cele and national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola demanded large sums from criminal accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala after his company Medicare24 Tshwane District was awarded a R360m SAPS tender.
In his testimony before the Madlanga commission on Tuesday, Mogotsi alleged the duo expected Matlala, as a service provider, to pay Masemola R25m and Cele R10m.
He said of the R25m to be paid to Masemola, R5m had already been paid and there was a balance of R20m outstanding. For Cele, R2m had already been paid, and a balance of R8m was outstanding.
“One of the important things he [Matlala] said was that Masemola and Cele had a plan — a strategy for Cele to come back [into SAPS], and they want to get rid of [deputy police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack] Sibiya,” Mogotsi said.
He also alleged that the duo wanted to oust now-suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu.
In December 2024, Matlala referred him to a high-ranking police officer who told him he had been briefed about an alleged plan to engineer a negative outcome in the ongoing disciplinary hearing of Maj-Gen Feroz Khan.
The officer indicated he had just returned from KwaZulu-Natal, where senior officials had outlined how the case against Khan was expected to be handled.
He said Matlala also shared information about factionalism in the SAPS.
On the annual ANC January 8 event, which was held in Cape Town this year, Mogotsi said Matlala, who had indicated to him that he wanted to meet Mchunu at the celebration, offered to contribute to the event by subsidising ordinary ANC members from different parts of the country to attend the celebration.
“I relayed this suggestion to my handler, who then asked my co-handler to accompany me to Cape Town because my handler was not available. Matlala assisted with the funding of transportation, entertainment and accommodation for ANC members to attend the celebration in Cape Town. Matlala paid R149,000 towards the expenses and other payments towards the travel expenses of eight persons, which included my co-handler and his partner.”
Mogotsi said the R149,000 was paid to a company called Gotlhe, and payments were made to service providers by the company.
The additional travel for the eight persons was paid directly by Matlala.
According to Mogotsi, the company is owned by his fiancée.
He said it was never his intention for Matlala to meet Mchunu, explaining his handler had given strict instructions that Matlala must not, under any circumstances, come into contact with Mchunu. He said his handler and co-handlers were clear that Matlala’s proximity to the minister posed a security and operational risk, and he was expected to manage Matlala in a way that ensured such a meeting would not take place.
“My responsibility would rather be to manage him or to say things I know would never materialise. But it was a clear instruction that they should never meet. The character who comes from being John Wick, who is now Cat Matlala, there was no way you could bring that person close to the minister.”
Mogotsi said his handler had reiterated that he should continue infiltrating Matlala’s network to identify the role players in the SAPS tender awarded to him.
TimesLIVE
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