Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala endured an intense grilling during his latest appearance before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee, held inside the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre. The committee is probing widespread corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS), and Matlala has been repeatedly implicated in tender manipulation, bribery networks and improper relationships with senior officials.
Matlala returned to the stand after several witnesses placed him at the centre of corruption scandals involving police procurement and criminal activity. His testimony took a dramatic turn when Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Glynnis Breytenbach took her seat for questioning, swiftly dominating the session with pointed, aggressive and unrelenting interrogation.
Breytenbach immediately tackled Matlala’s criminal past, highlighting more than two decades’ worth of accusations and arrests. Under her questioning, Matlala confirmed a long list of serious charges he had faced over the years, including possession of stolen goods, motor vehicle theft, carjacking, assault, housebreaking, assaulting a police officer and even attempted murder. Despite the severity of these allegations, all the cases were withdrawn, and Matlala was acquitted in a high-profile cash-in-transit matter. He admitted to only one conviction, which he had disclosed during earlier testimony.
Breytenbach questioned how one individual could accumulate such an extensive archive of allegations without consequence, bluntly remarking, “That’s quite a checkered history. Most people don’t rack up that kind of list. Would you agree?” Her line of questioning grew increasingly tense as she explored allegations that Matlala had bribed senior officials—including former police minister Bheki Cele—given cash to prosecutors and investigators, and maintained ties to one of Pretoria’s most feared criminal gangs.
At times, Matlala kept calm, offering evasive or vague responses. However, the DA MP continued to probe allegations that Matlala used his purported business operations as a front for illicit activities, while cultivating influence among high-ranking police officials. She also confronted him directly about claims that he paid Cele over R1 million, some allegedly used toward the former minister’s son’s home.
As her session came to an end, Breytenbach delivered a scathing final rebuke that quickly ignited social media. She openly accused Matlala of exploiting the justice system and enriching himself at the expense of vulnerable South Africans.
“In my view, Mr Matlala, you are not a businessman. You are a crook. You are a thief, a fraud, corrupt, and the problem in this country today is people like yourself who clothe themselves in respectability, calling themselves businessmen when you are nothing but a dishonest thug,” she said.
She concluded with a powerful condemnation of the damage she believes figures like Matlala have inflicted on society: “You are making an illicit fortune by stealing from the poorest of the poor. It is people like you and your associates who have robbed generations of South African children of their futures. Shame on you, sir.”
Her remarks dominated online discussions, with many South Africans praising her directness and framing the confrontation as overdue accountability for one of Gauteng’s most notorious alleged power brokers.
Meanwhile, Matlala remains at the centre of multiple explosive claims. Earlier testimony revealed his alleged financial dealings with Bheki Cele, including more than R1 million reportedly handed over in cash—some transported in black Woolworths bags. Additional evidence suggested he used SAPS officers for personal errands, underscoring the deep entanglement between his private operations and state structures.
As the Ad Hoc Committee continues its work, South Africans are watching closely. The hearings are exposing a tangled web of corruption, influence-peddling and political connections — and Matlala’s testimony is proving to be one of the most shocking focal points yet.
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