By Johnathan Paoli
The Madlanga Commission resumed on Tuesday with explosive testimony from self-described information broker Brown Mogotsi, who insisted that his controversial dealings with businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala were part of a sanctioned Hawks infiltration operation, not corrupt solicitation.
Mogotsi told the commission that he was tasked by senior police officials to “get close” to Matlala, whose company had secured a R360 million SAPS Health Services tender, despite being under investigation for alleged involvement in the Tembisa Hospital graft scandal.
Mogotsi said his work was authorised directly by the suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, who allegedly handed Mogotsi Matlala’s contact details and instructed him to infiltrate a suspected tender syndicate.
“My task was simple, I had to get close to Matlala and identify the syndicate involved in the tender, including, if any, SAPS members. I also had to convince Matlala that I was close to (suspended police minister) Mchunu and that any concerns he had about SAPS tenders could be addressed,” he testified.
This version stands in stark contrast to evidence already before the commission, most notably Mogotsi’s own WhatsApp messages in which he reminded Matlala to submit an invoice for facilitation of the since cancelled R360 million tender, and in return suggested he could shield him from investigation.
Confronted with this apparent contradiction, Mogotsi insisted that these interactions were part of his undercover work.
He told the commission that his intelligence activities predated the Matlala assignment and included assisting the Hawks in Rustenburg, where he claimed 32 firearms were seized from a group of alleged hitmen.
He said the operation was abruptly halted when Hawks Major-General Patrick Mbotho phoned the operation commander demanding to know why certain security officers had been arrested.
“He ordered that the men be released and that their guns be returned,” Mogotsi alleged.
Mogotsi further testified that he briefed Sibiya in August 2024 on what was transpiring inside Crime Intelligence, including his concerns that the SAPS health services tender was irregular.
He added that Sibiya seemed uncomfortable during the meeting, as if he did not trust him.
The commission also heard that Mogotsi had messaged Matlala screenshots purporting to show his communications with Mchunu, and claimed he was preparing a meeting involving Sibiya and Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde, to discuss finalising matters involving Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo and KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The testimony entered even more contentious territory when Mogotsi recounted a 7 December 2024 phone call with Matlala, the day after PKTT and Gauteng counter-intelligence teams raided the businessman’s home searching for kidnapping victim Jerry Boshoga.
During that conversation, he said, Matlala complained that SAPS leaders were very ungrateful after allegedly receiving large cash payments.
According to Mogotsi, Matlala claimed to have paid National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola R5 million of an expected R25 million, and former minister Bheki Cele R2 million, with Cele allegedly demanding a further R8 million.
He testified that Matlala told him Cele and Masemola were working on a “comeback strategy” for Cele to return as police minister and “get rid of General Sibiya”.
Mogotsi said Matlala later referred him to a high-ranking police officer who told him there were plans to engineer an adverse disciplinary finding against senior Crime Intelligence official Feroz Khan.
The commission continues.
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