Matlala Says Cele Demanded R1m Bribe And Got Half In Woolies Bags

In a sensational appearance before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee probing deep-rooted corruption within South Africa’s policing structures, alleged cartel figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala claimed that former police minister Bheki Cele demanded a R1-million bribe — and that he personally delivered R500,000 of it in Woolworths shopping bags.

Matlala, who has been held at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre since his April arrest, is facing a host of grave charges, including conspiracy to commit murder and links to the R2-billion Tembisa Hospital fraud scandal.

His testimony, resumed on Thursday, has been described as one of the inquiry’s most explosive moments, potentially linking top political players to criminal networks.

Matlala ‘I paid Cele R500,000 in Woolies bags’

Under questioning from evidence leader Norman Arendse SC, Matlala detailed how Cele allegedly demanded R1-million from him.

He said he only managed to pay R500,000 — split into R300,000 and R200,000 payments — both delivered in Woolworths bags.

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He said the first payment took place at his Menlyn penthouse, where Cele allegedly “often visited and stayed for days at a time”.

On the second occasion, Matlala claimed he handed Cele a bag containing R200,000 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Umhlanga.

“We had lunch, and I sent one of my guys to fetch a bag from the car. I took that bag and handed it to Cele in his red Jeep, and he drove off,” he said.

Memory gaps — and solitary confinement

Arendse pressed Matlala on why his previous statement mentioned only R500,000 and not the full R1-million demand.

Matlala responded, “I told you I forgot a lot of things. I’m locked in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. I don’t have a radio or anything, so I forget a lot.”

He insisted he could not “control” what he forgot.

A security entourage and a Durban meeting

Matlala described travelling to Durban to hand over one of the payments, flanked by a 16-member security detail using four vehicles.

Asked why such a large entourage, he said it was for both marketing purposes and personal safety.

He also revealed that Cele allegedly arranged a meeting between himself and KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at The Pearls in Umhlanga.

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“It was General Cele. He arranged the meeting,” Matlala said. “I told Mkhwanazi about my challenges. He said he’d look into it, but I never heard from him again.”

Matlala further claimed Cele asked him to purchase a house in Trafalgar for a purported son — though the identity of the alleged son remained unclear.

A committee formed amid claims of political interference

The Ad Hoc Committee was established following Lt Gen Mkhwanazi’s explosive allegations in 2024 that senior SAPS figures and political leaders were actively interfering in investigations — particularly those tied to politically connected drug cartels and KwaZulu-Natal’s political killings.

On 6 July, Mkhwanazi accused suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of disbanding the Political Killings Task Team on 31 December 2024 — a move allegedly intended to shield Matlala and his associates.

Matlala’s testimony appears to lend weight to those claims, raising urgent questions about the integrity of law-enforcement leadership and the extent of political collusion with criminal syndicates.

As the inquiry continues, pressure is mounting for further accountability — and for South Africa’s security institutions to confront the rot exposed in Parliament’s chambers.

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