MBABANE – The King’s Office has dismissed claims by South African entrepreneur Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala that he was invited to the King’s Birthday celebrations.
The tenderpreneur, who stands accused of attempted murder, made these claims during his appearance before the South African Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee probing alleged corruption and criminality within the South African Police Service (SAPS). His name remains central to the probe.
He made the claims when Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema questioned him about his roots in Eswatini.
Evidence submitted to the committee includes screenshots of WhatsApp messages between Matlala and another key figure in the investigation, Brown Mogotsi.
It was presented that Mogotsi, at times, referred to Matlala as Dlamini. Malema began his questioning by stating that Dlamini clan members have roots in Eswatini, which Matlala affirmed.
However, when Malema questioned the roots of his maternal grandmother (who Matlala had earlier said had the clan name Dlamini), Matlala denied that his grandmother was originally from Eswatini, claiming she was from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Malema subsequently asked: “So you don’t have any relationship with some people in Eswatini?” Matlala replied: “No, I don’t have.”
Malema then asked what purpose he travels to Eswatini for. Matlala claimed he was invited to the King’s Birthday.
“Oh, so you know the King and the Queen Mother?” Malema asked.
Matlala responded: “Yes! I was invited by the Queen Mother.” Malema probed further and Matlala responded by claiming: “Yeah, but it was the birthday of the King.”
He purported to be the Queen Mother’s guest.
In light of these claims, the Director of Communications in the King’s Office, Percy Simelane, said: “We have no record of the invitation in question. We, therefore, are unable to say Matlala was indeed invited or not. Normally, an invitation is between the host and the invited person, unless the guest falls under the very important person (VIP) and very-very important person (VVIP).”
Simelane clarified that invitations for His Majesty’s birthday celebration are usually written ‘through the invitation of His Majesty King Mswati III’.
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Matlala’s dress code a hit
MBABANE – The dress code of Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala has attracted the attention of locals.
Matlala on the first appearance he testified before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee sitting at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, was pictured wearing a slim-fit stretch white Burberry shirt, valued at E9 350, paired with beige pants. Yesterday, he wore an all-black Fendi outfit with small details which altered the man on the street look to top-tier luxury. The IOL reported that the cheapest and most basic pair of Fendi trousers on their site goes for US$930. It stated that the belt, also featuring the FF motif, is reversible and retails for US$580, which works out to roughly E10 000.
Home Affairs officer charged with corruption over Matlala ID
BY Sibusiso Shange
MBABANE – The suspended Home Affairs officer has been charged with corruption over the alleged unlawful issuance of an Eswatini identity document to South African businessman Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala.
Assistant Regional Civil Registrar Nonhlanhla Malambe appeared at the magistrates court yesterday charged under Section 42(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006, read with subsections 42(1)(b)(i), 42(1)(b)(ii) and 42(1)(b)(iii). The Act states that a person commits corruption if they directly or indirectly give, offer, or agree to give an advantage to another person in circumstances that amount to an abuse of authority, a breach of trust, or a violation of a legal duty. The charges stem from allegations that on February 12, 2024, at or near Mbabane, Malambe produced and issued a birth certificate bearing PIN 7605286100465 for Matlala.
She is further alleged to have done so in the course of her duties at the Ministry of Home Affairs. Prosecutors say the act amounted to the abuse of her position and a breach of the trust placed in her.
Malambe was arrested on Tuesday by police officers from Tingculungculu at around 2pm. Her arrest occurred while she was already on a three-month suspension imposed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC). The suspension was linked to ongoing investigations into how Matlala obtained an Eswatini ID under the name Vusimuzi Dlamini.
In July 2025, this publication revealed that Matlala, a controversial South African businessman, who also owns a security company, held an Eswatini ID that presented him as the second-born child of a Motshane woman, Christinah Thembi Shongwe. The document listed no father. However, Shongwe told this newspaper that her actual second-born child was a girl and denied that Matlala was related to her.
Following the exposé, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) launched a joint probe.
By late August, the investigation had widened. An employee at the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) was suspended after investigators uncovered suspected manipulation of the Home Affairs database. Insiders said the audit revealed that the Home Affairs user account linked to the transaction had been replaced with that of a deceased colleague, raising concern that system entries were deliberately altered.
In September, the Times published an interview in which Malambe insisted she had acted in good faith. She said she believed Matlala was one of emaSwati who had been living in South Africa and had returned home to obtain documentation. She said she had verified no background information and had accepted no payment. “I absolutely did not know who he was,” she said at the time.
*Full article available in our publication
