By Johnathan Paoli
Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala has disputed parts of his account of how 20 impalas were delivered to former deputy national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, insisting that he only learnt the animals were intended for the senior police officer after receiving the delivery location.
Testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday, Matlala also refused to explain three payments of R100,000 each made into a butchery account, which former South African Police Service (SAPS) Quality Management head Brigadier Rachel Matjeng said were intended as financial assistance for her but which she never received.
“I did not know that the impalas were for Sibiya. It didn’t matter to me who the impalas were for, because I wanted to get rid of them. Nkosi told me what Sibiya’s address was. I only knew after I received the PIN for the location where the impalas would be delivered,” he said.
Evidence leader Thabang Pooe questioned Matlala about the alleged gift and his dealings with the former police general.
Matlala confirmed that his farm manager, Rudi Botha, had arranged the transportation of the 20 impalas, hired a truck and asked him for the delivery address.
However, he disputed the account in his controversial statement to the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), in which he said he had asked former Organised Crime Sergeant Fannie Nkosi to confirm the delivery address with Sibiya before the general sent it to him directly.
Matlala maintained that he did not know who the animals were intended for and only discovered they were being delivered to Sibiya after receiving the location pin.
However, WhatsApp evidence retrieved from Nkosi’s seized phone showed that Botha had sent a voice note on 21 March 2024 requesting a location pin for the impalas.
Following several calls between Matlala and Nkosi, Matlala sent Nkosi a screenshot from Botha showing that the farm manager had received money, instructing him to “check your account again”.
Botha subsequently confirmed that the arrangements had been made, while Matlala confirmed that he had paid for the transportation.
Pooe challenged Matlala over his previous description of the allegations that he had given Sibiya impalas as a “rumour” before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of criminality and corruption in the police.
“This wasn’t a rumour, this is something that actually occurred,” Pooe said.
Matlala was also questioned about his previous statement that he had felt obliged to comply with Sibiya’s requests because of the general’s senior position and his belief that Sibiya had facilitated Medicare24’s R360-million SAPS health services contract.
Matlala has since denied that Sibiya played a role in securing the contract but declined to elaborate, saying he wanted to give his account in another forum.
In his statement, Matlala also alleged that Sibiya had asked him to purchase a R4-million plot in Midrand, with payment to be made as money from the SAPS contract came in.
He said he eventually realised that the alleged demands would not end and decided against buying the property.
However, Matlala disputed parts of that account and denied telling police that he had bought Sibiya a R2-million plot registered in his wife’s name.
The commission also examined Matlala’s relationship with Matjeng, who oversaw aspects of the Medicare24 contract and previously testified that the two had an on-and-off romantic relationship.
Matjeng told the commission that Matlala had showered her with gifts and that the money he paid her was unrelated to the awarding or execution of the SAPS contract.
She previously testified that she had approached Matlala for financial assistance after a creditor obtained a judgment against her.
According to her evidence, Matlala requested third-party banking details to ensure the money would not be directly linked to her. She subsequently provided the banking details of Osizweni Meat Market, a butchery.
Matjeng said she never received the R300,000 because Matlala owed the butchery money.
Pooe put her account to Matlala, asking whether he remembered requesting the banking details and making three payments of R100,000 into the account.
Matlala repeatedly invoked his right against self-incrimination.
Asked whether he wanted to confirm Matjeng’s evidence that the payments were a favour between two people in a relationship, he replied: “No, I do not want to comment on that. I don’t want to incriminate myself.”
He also refused to confirm whether he had been in a relationship with Matjeng, saying he would have to answer the question in court because she was his co-accused.
The questioning became more contentious when Pooe presented a schedule showing payments from Matlala’s accounts to Matjeng between 2019 and 2021, before the Medicare24 contract was awarded.
Matlala said the payments and related documents would form part of his defence in his criminal case, arguing that discussing them could reveal his defence strategy to the State.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi challenged his explanation, saying the commission was not asking him to disclose his defence strategy but simply to confirm whether the payments had originated from his accounts.
She warned that his refusal to answer would leave the commission with Matjeng’s version of events.
“Otherwise, we are left with her version, and we must draw conclusions based on her version without taking yours into account because you refuse to confirm your bank account, that payments were made from your bank account,” Baloyi said.
Baloyi explained that the privilege against self-incrimination did not entitle a witness to refuse questions merely because answering them could reveal aspects of a defence strategy.
Matlala did, however, confirm that he had visited Matjeng’s home “a lot”, saying he had been going there since well before 2020. He could not recall what they had discussed during those visits.
He declined to say whether they had discussed the SAPS contract after it was awarded in 2024, again invoking his right against self-incrimination.
The commission adjourned for the day, with Matlala expected to complete his testimony on Wednesday.
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