WATCH | Matlala’s R500k ANC ‘gift’ was tied to Mchunu’s presidential bid – Witness C

The R500,000 paid by Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala for the flights and accommodation of ANC members to attend the January 8 celebration in Cape Town this year was to financially support suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu’s presidential ambitions.

This is allegedly what Matlala told police who arrested him in May for the attempted murder of his former partner, actress Tebogo Thobejane.

The information was revealed by Witness C at the Madlanga commission on Wednesday. According to the witness, Matlala was arrested after his car hit a pothole in Midrand.

“He (Matlala) said he was introduced to Mr Mchunu, and Mchunu had ambitions to run for presidency in the ANC, and that there were people who were contributing to his campaign.

“Indeed, Mr Matlala was one of the people who contributed.

Mr Matlala was one of the people who were contributing to Mchunu’s campaign in his ambition to run for ANC presidency.

—  Witness C tells Madlanga commission

“He had contributed to the total amount of R500,000, purchased flight tickets and accommodation for ANC members who were attending the January 8 celebration in Cape Town,” the witness said.

In return, Mchunu allegedly used state security resources to get the information of the police officers who were investigating him following a raid at his properties.

“He (Mchunu) had used [SAPS] machines to identify SAPS members who had been investigating him and raided his house.

“Mr Mogotsi sent him (the minister) the vehicles that we used when we went to his house,” Witness C said.

Sowetan previously reported that chats retrieved from Matlala’s phone showed how he bankrolled eight people linked to Mchunu’s associate, Brown Mogotsi, to attend an ANC fundraising gala dinner in Cape Town.

The chats are part of a tranche of 424 explosive messages between Matlala and Mogotsi which were shown as part of the evidence from the police’s crime intelligence head, Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, at the Madlanga commission of inquiry.

They have revealed how Matlala paid for the flights for eight people to attend the event, which was to be addressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

While Mogotsi asked that Matlala also pay a further R200,000 for a table for the group, Matlala refused. During his testimony, Khumalo had stated that the lengthy conversations between Matlala and Mogotsi were categorised by six themes – the use of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, payments to politicians, tender protection, the disbandment of the political killings task team, links to senior crime intelligence officials, and access to Mchunu.

Sowetan