Pretoria – Former police commissioner Bheki Cele allegedly received R700,000 in cash from businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, with a further R300,000 paid later as part of an alleged R1 million arrangement, the Madlanga Commission has heard.
Testifying on Wednesday, Matlala claimed that Cele offered to help resolve problems surrounding Medicare24’s controversial medical-services contract with the South African Police Service (SAPS), but expected payment for his assistance.
According to IOL, Matlala told the commission that he arranged accommodation for Cele at his penthouse at The Capital in Menlyn Maine, Pretoria, towards the end of January 2025.
He said he withdrew R500,000 from Medicare’s account on 9 January and another R200,000 the following day.
According to his testimony, he placed the R700,000 in a Woolworths shopping bag and took it to the penthouse when Cele arrived with his security guards. The late Mabonga was also present.
Matlala said Cele instructed him to put the bag on the table and promised to update him on efforts to resolve the contract dispute.
He claimed Cele visited the penthouse three or four times.
The businessman further testified that Cele told him he should pay for the assistance.
[WATCH] “He [Bheki Cele] was operating like a juke box, you have to pay for something to happen,” Vusimusi ‘Cat’ Matlala explains how the former police minister was siphoning money from him for certain favours. #Newzroom405 https://t.co/i8vYPSTPqO
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) November 11, 2026
“He said to me that I must make sure that I pay him for helping me as he said, ‘I don’t work for you’,” Matlala told the commission.
The two allegedly agreed on R1 million.
Matlala said he later received WhatsApp messages requesting R10,000 and another R7,000, with different bank account details. He made the payments before realising the messages had not come from Cele.
Another R300,000 allegedly handed over in Durban
Matlala testified that he paid the remaining R300,000 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Durban in March 2025.
He said he took the money from his protector, opened the rear passenger door of Cele’s Jeep and placed the cash on the back seat.
However, Matlala alleged that Cele made further financial requests beyond the money linked to the Medicare24 contract.
He told the commission that Cele wanted him to buy a retirement property in Trafalgar, KwaZulu-Natal, valued at R6 million.
According to Matlala, Cele sent him photographs of the property and suggested that he fly to Margate, where the former police commissioner would collect him to view the house.
Matlala further claimed that Cele said his son, an engineer, would issue an invoice to explain the payments.
MATLALA PAYMENT TO CELE
Vusi “Cat” Matlala has told the Madlanga Commission that he gave former Police Minister Bheki Cele R300,000, not the R700,000 referenced in his statement.
Matlala denies that Cele offered to assist him with his Medicare24 contract, claiming this was inserted into his statement by IDAC.
He also says nobody stayed in his luxury Pretoria apartment and that he allowed Cele to use it because Cele had previously helped him.
Matlala confirmed arranging withdrawals of R500,000 on 9 January 2025 and R200,000 on 10 January 2025 from Medicare’s account at Menlyn Maine.
However, he now claims the entire R700,000 was not intended for Cele, as he wanted additional cash available.
The conflicting versions raise further questions about the alleged payments and the relationship between Matlala and Cele.
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) November 11, 2026
The commission also heard that Cele allegedly requested another R300,000 to repair his vehicle and his wife’s vehicle.
Matlala said he travelled to KwaZulu-Natal on 9 May 2025 intending to obtain the money through a Durban businessman, but ultimately did not collect it. He said he ignored Cele’s subsequent calls.
Alleged plan to challenge SAPS contract termination
Matlala also alleged that Cele claimed to have influence within senior police structures and discussed ways to prevent Medicare24’s contract from being terminated.
He further told the commission that Cele discussed a possible R300 million civil claim against SAPS, with the expectation that the dispute would eventually be settled out of court.
The allegations form part of the wider scrutiny of Medicare24’s controversial SAPS medical-services contract and Matlala’s alleged relationships with senior police figures.
According to The Sunday Independent, Matlala had previously made similar claims in a draft affidavit, alleging that Cele agreed to a R1 million payment in exchange for assistance with his difficulties involving the police and the Medicare24 contract.
The report also detailed the alleged R700,000 cash payment at a Menlyn Maine penthouse, the remaining R300,000 allegedly handed over in Durban, and the proposed R6 million retirement property.
In its earlier report, IOL said Cele had denied receiving cash from Matlala, although he acknowledged staying at the businessman’s Menlyn penthouse free of charge.
The allegations have not been established as fact, and the commission has yet to make findings on them.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
