General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi Withdraws Bheki Cele–Vusimuzi Matlala Money Allegation and Apologises

• Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has withdrawn a previous allegation he made against Bheki Cele
• The KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner discussed ties between Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala and Cele
• Cele is the fifth witness to testify before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee probing Mkhwanazi's allegations

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.

WESTERN CAPE – Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has officially withdrawn previous allegations he made against Bheki Cele, apologising for any inconvenience and hurt it may have caused.

The KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner previously alleged that former Minister of Police, Cele, received money from Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. Matlala has been at the centre of a lot of allegations, in both the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and the Ad Hoc Committee.

During Cele’s testimony before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on 23 October 2025, the proceedings were briefly adjourned after Advocate Norman Arendse indicated that the legal team had received a text message.

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Ad Hoc Committee wants Mkhwanazi to return to explain false allegations

When matters resumed, Arendse explained that the message was from General Mkhwanazi, who wanted to withdraw the allegations. KZN’s top cop explained that after further investigations, the team working on the analysis got the bank account details wrong, and it was not a reference to Cele as previously claimed.

Parliamentarians were in agreement that General Mkhwanazi needed to appear before the committee to explain his mistake and publicly apologise for the false claims. Chairperson Molapi Soviet Lekganyane also stated that the KZN Police Commissioner should make a public apology.

Cele previously stated in his testimony that he was shocked by some of Mkhwanazi's allegations against him.

What did Mkhwanazi allege about Cele?

Testifying under oath on Wednesday, 8 October 2025, the KZN Police Commissioner stated that Cele provided Matlala with a bank account number not in his name, and that the businessman subsequently deposited money into that account. He also alleged that Cele acknowledged receipt of the money.

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“This is not just about phone calls. It's about money. It’s criminal,” Mkhwanazi said at the time.

Cele was not the only high-ranking former or current official implicated in dodgy dealings. Allegations were also made about Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu and Deputy National Police Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya.

Even Nathi Mthethwa, the former Police Minister and late South African Ambassador to France, was mentioned during proceedings.

Other stories from Cele's appearance before Parliament

Briefly News reported that Cele's first day before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee provided quite a lot of bombshell claims.

• The former National Police Commissioner told Parliament that the country's biggest crimes were planned in prisons.
• Cele also discussed his relationship with Cat Matlala, saying that he was scared by the way the businessman operated.
• The former minister also claimed that Mchunu sought funding from Matlala for his presidential ambitions.

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News