Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala Says He Paid Money for Bheki Cele’s “Hidden Son”
- Tenderpreneur Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala, who was arrested for the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend Tebogo Thobejane, continued his testimony before the Ad Hoc committee
- Matlala appeared before the Committee at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre and discussed his relationship with former Police Minister Bheki Cele
- Matlala alleged that Cele made additional demands from him, including having to pay him for a house for his son
With 10 years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics, commissions of inquiry, and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.
Source: Facebook
PRETORIA, GAUTENG — Tenderpreneur Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala, who is testifying before the Ad Hoc Committee at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre, alleged that he paid former police minister Bheki Cele, who wanted to buy a house for his son.
Matlala testified in Tshwane on 27 November 2025 about his relationship with Cele. Matlala continued testifying and said that Cele continually made demands of him.
Demands Bheki Cele made to Cat Matlala
Matlala alleged that Bheki wanted a house in Trafalgar, KwaZulu-Natal, for his son. Trafalgar is a seaside resort village located in the Ugu District Municipality. He said that Cele told him that he had a son whom people did not know of. The son is in engineering.
Cele's demands were also monetary. He demanded R1 million from Matlala. A portion of the money was handed over in black Woolworths bags. He said he gave Cele R500,000 in two payments of R300,000 and R200,000.
He was asked why he did not mention the full amount in his earlier testimony. He said that he forgets a lot of things due to being detained in solitary confinement. Matlala also alleged that he moved the money from the bank to his apartment.
Ad Hoc Committee extended
The National Assembly resolved to extend the Ad Hoc committee to 20 February 2026. The Ad Hoc Committee was formed to investigate alleged police corruption after KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged during a press briefing on 6 July 2025 that a network of criminal cartels had infiltrated the criminal justice system.
Source: Facebook
South Africans discuss testimony
Netizens commenting on Facebook discussed what Matlala revealed while testifying.
Mduduzi Nkutha said:
"One thing about Cele, he made sure that there is no trace of what Cat is saying."
Ursula Lola Macuacua Mthembu was unamused.
"I thought he was going to tell us explosive after explosive details. Kanti, he came to lie."
Mojela Isaac Motaung said:
"This means nothing as Mr Cele was not a Minister, so he can ask money from anyone and doesn't have to declare anything."
Rethsbile TheMaster Mahamuza joked:
"Someone please tsg Fidelity and G4S. We discovered a new way of transporting."
Cat Matlala makes allegations against Mkhwanazi
In a related article, Briefly News reported that Mastlala alleged that Mkhwanazi once asked him a favour.
Matlala said that he met Mkhwanazi in April 2025 at a hotel in Umhlanga. Mkhwanazi then told him that he was aware of the problems he was having with his police contract.
Source: Briefly News
