Madlanga Commission: Witness Shares Vusimuzi Matlala’s Ties to KZN Hawks Head General Lesetja Senona

• The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry resumed proceedings in Pretoria on 14 October 2025 after a week-long break
• Witness X, who was testifying remotely, shared details about Vusimuzi Matlala's ties with the KwaZulu-Natal Hawks' Head
• Cat Matlala has been linked to other senior officials, including Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and General Shadrack Sibiya

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has heard how Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala had a close relationship with KwaZulu-Natal Hawks Head, General Lesetja Senona.

The commission is probing allegations of political interference, corruption and criminality in the criminal justice system. The commission was set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa following claims made by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

The commission, which is sitting at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria, was shown screenshots of Matlala’s communications with General Senona. The screenshots were part of Witness X’s testimony.

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Witness X was forced to deliver testimony from a remote location due to safety concerns. The testimony was supposed to be delivered in-camera, but two media houses objected to that order.

What did Witness X allege?

During testimony remotely through an intermediary, Witness X exposed WhatsApp messages between Matlala and Senona, showing the two discussing the purchase of a property. The property was allegedly going to be purchased by Matlala for General Senona’s son, Thato.

Witness X told evidence leader Advocate Adila Hasim that they could not confirm whether the property purchase went through or not. The screenshots were obtained from Matlala's phone after his arrest.

Matlala’s name has been mentioned numerous times during the commission, with Generals Mkhwanazi, Masemola and Khumalo alleging that he has links to other officials.

Matlala not only got a tender from the police despite being under investigation, but he also reportedly has close ties to Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and the suspended Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection. Both Mchunu and Sibiya have denied these claims.

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Sibiya is currently testifying before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee, which is also looking into Mkhwanazi's claims.

What you need to know about the Madlanga Commission

• Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi accused the Presidency of interfering with investigations.
• The police’s Head of Legal Services, General Petronella Van Rooyen, said Mchunu didn’t have the power to disband the task team.
• Masemola accused Mchunu and General Shadrack Sibiya of trying to protect criminal syndicates.
• General Khumalo revealed that five major cartels were operating in the country and infiltrating the criminal justice system.
• The Madlanga Commission proceedings were postponed after General Dumisani Khumalo fell ill.

Safety of the secret witness compromised

Briefly News reported that the safety of the secret witness, Witness X, became compromised.

Witness X was testifying remotely on 14 October 2025, before their security was compromised.

The witness had been testifying behind closed doors, in a remote location, through an intermediary.

Source: Briefly News