Cat Matlala Says Bheki Cele Kept Demanding Money: "More Than Greed"

Tenderpreneur Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala has accused former police minister Bheki Cele of repeatedly asking him for money, claiming the requests continued to grow after they were introduced.

Testifying at the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday, Matlala also alleged that Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) officials planned to arrest Cele using information contained in his proposed Section 204 plea statement.

Matlala said his arrest on 14 May 2025 brought an end to the alleged demands, while disputing parts of the statement prepared by investigators.

Matlala Disputes Statement About Cele And Jotham Msibi

Matlala denied drafting a paragraph in his Section 204 statement that described an alleged relationship between Cele and late taxi boss Jotham Msibi.

The paragraph claimed Matlala had met Cele at Msibi’s farm. However, Matlala told the commission that he first saw the former minister at Msibi’s funeral.

He alleged that IDAC officials inserted the paragraph to establish a history between the three men and explain why he would approach Cele for assistance after police confiscated his firearms.

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Matlala claimed investigators wanted to portray him as someone who already knew Cele through Msibi, making it easier to explain his alleged payments to the former minister.

“These guys from Idac said, ‘You need to create a history as if you used to see him with Mr Msibi before. That’s why you’re even so comfortable going to him, even though you never spoke; you have met before, so there must be a history. So that’s why they ended up putting this paragraph here,” alleged Matlala.

He also claimed investigators exaggerated the amounts he gave Cele because they wanted to pursue corruption charges against the former minister.

“They were actually exaggerating [the amount of money I gave to Cele]. I did give Mr Cele money, but that money was exaggerated. And then, because now they wanted to charge him with corruption.”

Matlala Claims IDAC Planned To Arrest Cele

According to Matlala, IDAC's plans to arrest Cele collapsed after his proposed plea deal was rejected by the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Pretoria on 13 July.

He claimed investigators were angry because they had expected him to accept the agreement, which would have allowed them to use his statement against Cele and other individuals.

“I remember even when I refused to take the plea, they [Idac officials] were very angry because they said on Friday they were supposed to go and arrest him [Cele]. So now they couldn’t. Him and other people, not only him. He [Cele] was part of the people who were supposed to be arrested after I took the plea,” said Matlala.

Matlala further claimed that former IDAC head Andrea Johnson had been expected to use his statement when testifying at the commission that day.

He said investigators had contacted Johnson while he was on his way to court and told her he would accept the plea deal. However, he alleged that she did not testify after he refused to proceed with the agreement.

“The day that I refused the plea, their boss was supposed to testify here. On my way to court, they called her and told her that Matlala is going to take the plea because, on our way to court, I lied to them and said, ‘Yes, I’m going to take the plea’.

“And then their boss was already here because I heard them talking on the phone, saying good luck and everything. And after I refused to take the plea, their boss suddenly disappeared. They said to me that ‘you see now, because our boss was relying on your statement to go and testify there’. So after that, I think she never even testified that day.”

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These claims about the alleged arrest plan and Johnson's involvement were made by Matlala during his testimony.

‘More Than Greed’: Cele Allegedly Asked For R1 Million And A House

Matlala said he first saw Cele at Msibi’s funeral but only met him properly on 23 December 2024.

He claimed an associate, identified as Mabunga, arranged the meeting after telling him that Cele could help resolve his firearms problems.

According to Matlala, the meeting marked the beginning of repeated requests for money. He initially denied that Cele had asked him for R1 million but later acknowledged the request when confronted with his previous testimony before Parliament’s ad hoc committee.

Matlala said his first payment was R200,000 after Mabunga allegedly suggested that he give Cele R500,000.

“Firstly, I gave him 200 000 the first time. I was talking to him [Cele] through Mabunga [the associate who arranged the meeting]. Mabunga told me that [Cele said] that ‘your friend is not showing appreciation. He’s not showing that he’s a man.’

“And I asked Mabunga, ‘What does he want me to do?’ He told me that he wants some money. And I asked him, ‘How much?’ So we agreed that, for now, I will give him R200 000. Because Mabunga suggested R500 000, and I said, I don’t have R500 000; I’ll give him R200 000.”

He claimed the requests later increased to R300,000, R1 million and more.

Matlala said he was unhappy with the demands but felt pressured to show appreciation and avoid being viewed as ungrateful.

He also alleged that Cele asked him to buy a retirement house in KwaZulu-Natal.

“But it did not make sense to me [that he kept asking for more], because the demands were even more than that; at some point, he asked me to buy him a house in some place in KZN [KwaZulu-Natal]. He said he wants to retire in that house.

“He used the reason of facilitating getting my weapons back, but it was more than greed, I would say, because he knew that, because he told me himself that, ‘How did you get this contract? Because this contract is not what you see here; it’s billions. Who helped you to get this contract?’”

Matlala's allegations against Cele and IDAC remain claims made under oath at the commission. The testimony does not, on its own, establish that the alleged payments or planned arrests occurred as described.