Denials, admissions, amnesia cloud Matlala’s ad hoc testimony

“No, no, no. I can’t remember. If that’s what you say. I don’t agree.“

These words of denial, disagreement and claims of amnesia themed tenderpreneur and attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s testimony at the ad hoc committee probing allegations of political interference, criminality and corruption in the criminal justice system.

His criminal history, dating back to 2000, was laid bare on Thursday. But many of those cases, including attempted murder, house breakings and theft of motor vehicle, were withdrawn.

Allegations of cash-for-favours and links to senior police figures to outright denials of criminal involvement led MPs to label him a crook, thief, fraud, corrupt and a person who has caused serious damage.

In a gripping session, Matlala said former police minister Bheki Cele was an “extortionist”, and said suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu’s associate Brown Mogotsi was a con artist.

Here are some of the key takeaways from his testimony at Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Facility:

Admissions:

He gave Cele R500,000 - he first gave him R300,000 in a Woolworths bag at his penthouse in Pretoria. The second time, he gave him R200,000 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in KwaZulu-Natal;
He said he paid to make his problems go away;
He gave Cele money to sort out his problems with the police;
He gave Mogotsi money for the ANC January 8 celebration;
He was close to Jerry Boshoga who has disappeared and alleged that Boshoga was dealing in drugs;
Boshoga owes him about R100,000;
He resigned from Medicare24 Tshwane in December;
He used a “Sgt Nkosi”, who is known as the right-hand man to suspended deputy police commissioner for crime detection, Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, as an errand person;
Suspended Ekurhuleni acting chief of police Julius Mkhwanazi was his friend;
He is targeted because he is perceived to be close to Mchunu and Sibiya;
His company, Cat VIP Protection, supplied protection for the Ekurhuleni mayor for free; and
He donated four vehicles - two BMWs, one Mercedes-Benz and a VW Golf GTI - to the Ekurhuleni metro police department because he wanted to do medical response for them. He did that to show “good faith”.

Denials:

He is not a member of a drug cartel;
He is not close to Sibiya;
He was not bribing Cele when he gave him cash;
He never met with Mchunu;
He does not have an ID or passport under the surname Dlamini;
He had never bribed, given or done favours to anyone in the police service, prosecutors or any judge;
He did not pay anyone for the R360m SAPS contract that was awarded to Medicare;
He doesn’t know how many of his friends are involved in criminal activities;
He has never provided security for any other politician except for Cele;
He does not have knowledge of criminal gang Boko Haram from Pretoria;
He is not John Wick who is believed to be behind the killings of members of Boko Haram;
He does not know murder convict and feared taxi boss Vusi “Khekhe” Mathibela; and
He disputed the authenticity of most of the text messages presented to the committee, allegedly from him and Mogotsi.

What he forgot:

He forgot to mention that Cele demanded R1m from him in his statement submitted to the ad hoc committee.

Here are some of the cases Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has faced over the years:

2000 – Possession of suspected stolen property — withdrawn;
2000 - Theft out of motor vehicle in Silverton, Tshwane — withdrawn;
2000 - Theft of motor vehicle in Brooklyn, Tshwane — withdrawn;
2001 – Burglary at a residential premises in Sinoville, Tshwane — convicted, sentenced to four years, which he said he served;
2006 - Cash-in-transit heist case — acquitted;
2011 - Theft of motor vehicle — withdrawn;
2012 - House robbery and possession of suspected stolen goods — withdrawn;
2012 - Common assault in Brooklyn — withdrawn;
2012 - Possession of housebreaking equipment in Mamelodi, Tshwane — withdrawn;
2013 – House robbery in Alberton, Ekurhuleni — withdrawn;
2015 – Carjacking and possession of suspected stolen goods in Silverton — withdrawn;
2016 – Possession of firearm without a licence, impersonating a police officer and resisting/assaulting a police officer — all withdrawn; and
2018 - Attempted murder — withdrawn.

Sowetan