Mkhwanazi Explains Withdrawal of Corruption Claims Against Bheki Cele: “It Was A Data Error”

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has clarified why he withdrew serious corruption allegations previously made against former police minister Bheki Cele.

Mkhwanazi had earlier told a parliamentary ad hoc committee probing corruption within the criminal justice system that Cele allegedly received illicit payments from businessman Vusimuzi Matlala.

At the time, he claimed Cele had supplied a third-party bank account for the deposits, stating: “This is not just about phone calls. It’s about money. It’s criminal.”

Data Misinterpretation Behind Mkhwanazi Claims, Committee Told

However, during Cele’s later appearance before the committee, evidence leader Norman Arendse disclosed that the allegations had been withdrawn.

Returning to testify on Wednesday, Mkhwanazi acknowledged that the claims were based on flawed analysis of cellphone data linked to Matlala.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Parliament Shuts Down Thabo Bester’s Bid To Testify As MPs Clash: “We Can’t Promote Lawlessness”

“In preparation for my evidence before the committee, I relied on information provided by the analyst regarding the cellphone data from Matlala’s phones,” Mkhwanazi said, noting that data from two devices had been examined.

Phone Number Mix-Up Led to Costly Error

Mkhwanazi explained that investigators identified a contact saved as “Bab Ndosi” — a name associated with Cele — but later discovered the number did not belong to the former minister.

The confusion stemmed from the fact that the number differed from Cele’s actual contact details by just one digit, leading both investigators and Matlala to believe they were communicating with the same person.

“I think the system flagged a different number because of this similarity. The analyst has since explained how this error happened,” Mkhwanazi said. “We also believe Matlala made the same error. He likely believed he was communicating with the minister when he addressed ‘Bab Ndosi’.”

He revealed that the real owner of the number, a resident in Mpumalanga, has since given a formal statement.

According to Mkhwanazi, the man received WhatsApp messages containing bank records and, while trying to understand the situation, was asked by Matlala — who believed he was speaking to Cele — to provide banking details. The funds were then mistakenly transferred to the wrong account.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Madlanga Commission Allows Witness G To Testify Off-Screen Over Safety Fears

“When [Matlala] eventually realised his mistake, he asked, ‘Who are you?’ After the person explained, Matlala deleted the messages,” Mkhwanazi said.

Mkhwanazi stressed that the error was unintentional and resulted from a misinterpretation during the data extraction process.

“It was not our intention to mislead this committee. It was an error made by the analysis team during the data extraction process.”