CAPE TOWN - Former police minister Bheki Cele has implicated his successor, Senzo Mchunu, in allegedly having ties with controversial figure Vusumzi ‘Cat’ Matlala, saying the two met in person with Mchunu’s ‘comrade’ Brown Mogotsi.
The claim contradicts Mchunu’s sworn testimony before parliament this week, when he vehemently denied meeting or knowing Matlala.
Cele told MPs on Thursday, he met with Matlala in December 2024 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Durban. According to Cele, Matlala told him he had met Mchunu and Mogotsi to discuss funding Mchunu’s political ambitions in the ANC.
“He (Cat) said he had met minister Mchunu and Brown Mogotsi and spoke about him (Cat) funding his (Mchunu’s) project of becoming president or deputy president,” Cele said.
Mchunu, who is on special leave pending investigations into alleged corruption and political interference, has rejected links to Matlala. Matlala is accused of attempted murder and money laundering and has been named as part of an alleged drug trafficking network known as the ‘Big Five’.
During his appearance before the parliamentary ad hoc committee, Mchunu cited an affidavit signed by Matlala at C-Max Prison to support his denial.
The inquiry is part of an investigation into the alleged capture of the police service by criminal networks and political interests. Matlala and Mogotsi may be called to appear before parliament’s ad hoc committee and the Madlanga commission of Inquiry, which is investigating high-level corruption and interference in the country’s criminal justice system.
Their testimonies could be crucial in determining whether there is a co-ordinated network of influence undermining law enforcement and political institutions.
Cele’s allegations come as Mchunu faces scrutiny over his decision to disband the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team, a move that KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged was intended to shield criminal interests.
Mkhwanazi’s explosive claims prompted the establishment of the parliamentary inquiry and the Madlanga commission by President Cyril Ramaphosa, which are at the centre of efforts to restore credibility within the police ministry.
Former police minister Bheki Cele at the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee of inquiry into alleged corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system at Good Hope Chambers in Cape Town on Thursday. (Pic: polity.org.za)