Cat Matlala Blows The Lid Off: ‘I Paid Cele R500,000’

Vusimuzi Cat Matlala sent Parliament into shock on Wednesday afternoon when he testified that he allegedly handed former Police Minister Bheki Cele a total of R500,000 in cash.

The revelations came during his highly anticipated appearance before the Ad Hoc Committee probing explosive allegations of police corruption made by KwaZulu-Natal SAPS head Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Matlala’s detailed account of his dealings with Cele had MPs riveted, to the point that chairperson Soviet Lekganyane had to caution members not to jump ahead of evidence leader Advocate Norman Arendse S.C. as he led the witness through his statement.

MPs Grilled Cele on ‘Information Flow’

Matlala claimed Cele told him that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu “thinks he can be president”, and suggested that Matlala’s R360-million healthcare tender may have been linked to alleged political ambitions.

According to Matlala, Cele believed he might have secured the tender through supposed connections with Mchunu and General Shadrack Sibiya — and that money from the contract was meant to bankroll Mchunu’s alleged presidential campaign.

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EFF leader Julius Malema confronted Matlala with Cele’s earlier testimony, where Cele insisted he kept Matlala close because Matlala was feeding him information from Mchunu. Asked directly whether Cele had lied under oath, Matlala replied: “Yes, he lied under oath.”

He went further, alleging: “I even gave him money… I don’t think he ever declared that money. I gave him money twice.”

Pressed by Malema on the amounts, Matlala stated he first paid Cele R300,000 and later an additional R200,000.

Police Corruption Claims Deepen After Cat Matlala Testimony 

Committee chair Lekganyane summarised the magnitude of the claims: the Beverly Hills hotel meeting with Cele, the alleged removal of General Dumisani Khumalo, ANC January 8th flight arrangements, claims of political ambitions, and now the alleged R500,000 in cash payments.

He urged the committee to ensure none of these issues “fall through the cracks”, stressing their importance to the police corruption investigation.

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Matlala said he first met Cele on 23 December 2024 at the Beverly Hills hotel in uMhlanga, where Cele was introduced as someone who could help stop the alleged police harassment he had been experiencing.

Matlala’s home and business had been raided twice, and his firearms confiscated. He took legal action against the police, but Cele allegedly urged him to withdraw the interdict as a gesture of goodwill.

After returning to Pretoria, Matlala recovered his firearms — though he claims he still does not know whether they were properly registered.

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