Madlanga Commission: Cat Matlala Invokes Right Against Self-Incrimination

Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala finally took the stand at the Madlanga Commission on Monday, after months of delays, and immediately made clear how much he would and wouldn't say. His lawyer, Advocate Annelene van den Heever, warned commissioners at the start of proceedings, delayed further by a fire alarm going off at the venue, that Matlala's answers would be limited. He went on to invoke his right not to incriminate himself when asked about his relationships with suspended general Shadrack Sibiya, Sergeant Fanie Nkosi, and businessman Suliman Carrim, all matters tied up in his own pending criminal trial. He did, however, speak at length about one man he clearly has no love left for: political fixer Brown Mogotsi. Matlala said Mogotsi first contacted him days after police raided his home, claiming to be from then-police minister Senzo Mchunu's office, and offered to help him open a case against the officers involved. "By then he wanted money. Yes, I gave him that money, I think it was R20,000. He said we must book accommodation for those investigators," Matlala told the commission. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Matlala said he later met former police minister Bheki Cele, who instructed him to keep paying Mogotsi to help establish whether there were corrupt links back to Mchunu. He said he paid Mogotsi R150,000 towards the ANC's January 8 anniversary celebrations, and that Cele, in turn, helped him recover firearms that had been confiscated from him. Asked directly how he now feels about Mogotsi, Matlala didn't hold back. "I actually hate him. He caused a lot of problems for me," he said, adding that the relationship ended after his arrest. He was firm that he has never dealt with Mchunu personally. "I have never met Minister Mchunu and have had no interactions with him, nor have I been at any gatherings where he was present," he testified. Matlala did open up slightly about his connection to Suliman Carrim, saying the two grew close through visits to the late taxi boss Jonathan Msibi, alleged by police to have headed a crime syndicate known as the "Big Five." Matlala said that around mid-2024, he approached Carrim with a request for R15 million in funding, agreed to verbally with no written contract. Matlala's testimony continues on 24 and 25 August. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Read the original article on Scrolla . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.