‘Cat’ Matlala Turns State Witness in R228M SAPS Corruption Case

Cat Matlala. Image: ENCA

Alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has entered into a Section 105A Plea and Sentence Agreement at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court, pleading guilty to seven charges of fraud, corruption, and money laundering linked to a R228-million SAPS tender awarded to his company, Medicare24. The court has sentenced Matlala to 15 years of direct imprisonment, with seven years suspended, leaving an effective eight-year term of direct imprisonment. Under the Correctional Services Act, he must serve at least half of this non-suspended sentence before becoming eligible for parole, meaning he faces a minimum of four years behind bars.

While Matlala has been in custody since May 14, 2025, that prior detention applies strictly to an entirely separate, pending violent crime case. In that matter, he faces 25 charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, money laundering, and 11 counts of attempted murder, stemming from three separate shooting incidents, including a botched hit on his former partner, actress Tebogo Thobejane. Following bail denials in September and October 2025 where he was deemed a flight risk, those high-profile proceedings will continue independently in the Johannesburg High Court.

Matlala’s corruption case has been separated from the main pool of accused and transferred to the Regional Court to expedite his handling as a cooperative state witness. His explosive disclosure statement is expected to heavily impact a growing list of compromised high-ranking officials, including former National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and suspended Deputy National Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya. Both Masemola and Sibiya face criminal charges following exposure of systemic police corruption and procurement capture by the Madlanga Commission. They are joined in the crosshairs by suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi. Mkhwanazi is currently out on R30,000 bail for unrelated corruption charges, but faces immediate scrutiny at the commission for illegally authorizing the fitment of police blue lights onto Matlala’s private fleet, utilizing a fraudulent SAPS police clearance certificate to try and register Matlala as an EMPD peace officer, and actively operating a parallel criminal network that outsourced municipal law enforcement powers directly to the syndicate.