News24 | From street Cat to kingpin: How Matlala moved from petty crime to the big time

Matlala claims Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi sought his help in getting a torture case withdrawn.He alleges he had approached the commissioner after struggling to secure new contract work.He further states Hawks head Lesetja Senona personally drove him to meet Mkhwanazi.The extraordinary relocation of Parliament’s ad hoc committee on police corruption from Cape Town to the Kgosi Mampuru C-Max Prison in Pretoria this week placed one name on nearly all lips in South Africa. Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, while in chains, testified about corruption and how he used his money to buy political influence. He also provided a glimpse into a life marked by hardship and controversy.The flashy businessperson, known as much for his luxury tastes as for his alleged crimes, arrived from his cell in shackles while dressed from head to toe in Fendi, an Italian luxury brand, his all-black outfit featuring the brand’s famous F-monogram. A day earlier, the “tenderpreneur” had appeared before the committee in a Burberry ensemble, with both outfits valued at tens of thousands of rands. Inside the walls of one of South Africa’s most heavily fortified prisons, MPs confronted a figure who rose from the streets of Mamelodi to command multimillion-rand state tenders, only to return to prison facing some of the most serious charges of his life.Early life: ‘I was a street kid’Matlala was born and raised in Mamelodi East in Pretoria. His childhood was marred by abandonment and trauma.My mother disappeared on me. I had to raise myself. I was actually a street kid.Vusimusi Matlala His mother lived with albinism and, he later learnt, suffered severe violence linked to dangerous myths related to the condition. “She was an albino. I heard she was raped. That thing traumatised her,” said Matlala.He spent much of his youth surviving on the streets but still managed to finish school at Lehlabile High School in Mamelodi.READ: Drug manufacturing, bribery and torture – Matlala shares details about missing BoshogaVusimusi Matlala shared a story of a life shaped by hardship.Tebogo LetsieHe reunited with his mother only in 2002. She was terminally ill and died shortly afterwards.From survival trading to criminal accusations (Late 1990s to 2001)Matlala said that after matric, he survived by taking up informal hustling and street trading.“I started to do informal business, buying and selling goods.”But as he entered his mid-twenties, around 24, he started amassing a pile of police dockets. DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach confronted him with his long record during the prison hearings.READ: Is it Cat Matlala or John Wick? Mogotsi contradicts Cele about first meeting with tender tycoonMatlala’s first known run-in with the law came in 2000, when he faced three separate arrests: one for possession of suspected stolen property, one for theft from a motor vehicle and another for motor vehicle theft in Brooklyn. All of these cases were eventually withdrawn. Timeline of Matlala’s cases:2001Burglary at residential premises (Senneville) – convicted; sentenced to four years, served. 2006Cash-in-transit case – acquitted.2011Theft of motor vehicle – withdrawn.2012House robbery – withdrawn.Possession of suspected stolen goods – withdrawn.Common assault – withdrawn.Possession of house break-in equipment – withdrawn.2013House robbery – withdrawn.2015Carjacking; possession of suspected stolen goods – withdrawn.2016Illegal firearm; impersonating a police officer; resisting or obstructing police – withdrawn.2018Attempted murder – withdrawn.Reinvention: Business and tender successAfter years of instability, Matlala said that he sought to rebuild his life. In 2017, he registered his first business.In 2017, I formally registered my first business, a security business.Vusimusi MatlalaHe expanded aggressively into the healthcare sector through companies such as CAT VIP Protection and Medicare24, both of which soon secured major government contracts.READ: Cat Matlala recalls violent raid as he testifies from prisonHis most controversial win was an SA Police Service (SAPS) healthcare tender worth approximately R360 million in 2024, awarded to Medicare24 Tshwane district, despite the company having no medical background. Internal SAPS audits flagged significant irregularities, as Matlala allegedly received R50 million upfront from the contract.His businesses were also linked, though not in court, to suspicious payments associated with the R2 billion Tembisa Hospital scandal, flagged by late whistleblower Babita Deokaran.Vusimusi Matlala reveals that he has nine children.Tebogo LetsiePolitical ties and growing influenceBy the early 2020s, Matlala had cultivated proximity to key political and police figures, presenting himself as an intermediary between rival factions within the state.According to contextual information surrounding his testimony, he interacted with or made allegations involving several officials, including former police minister Bheki Cele, whom he claimed he paid R500 000.KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was another senior official Matlala claimed to have engaged with, allegedly seeking his assistance with securing work after his contracts had dried up. In return, Matlala said he was expected to intervene in a torture case before the Independent Police Investigative Directorate by persuading the victim to withdraw the complaint. He further implicated the head of the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal, Lesetja Senona, stating confidently: READ: Matlala’s R360m SAPS health tender awarded despite concerns from IDAC – supply chain headI know him well; he drove me to meet General Mkhwanazi.Vusimusi MatlalaThese connections raised critical questions about how he repeatedly escaped prosecution while obtaining lucrative state tenders.Last year, a police raid on his hiome in Waterkloof, Pretoria, linked to a kidnapping investigation signalled a shift from influence to vulnerability, although he denied involvement.2025: Arrest and Parliament inside prisonIn August, Matlala was arrested on charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering. The attempted murder charge is tied to an alleged 2023 plot to kill his ex-girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane.The money-laundering allegations relate to the movement of funds through Medicare24 and associated companies, allegedly connected to bribery networks and tender kickbacks. Following his arrest, he was placed in Kgosi Mampuru II C-Max in Pretoria, one of the country’s highest-security facilities.Tsakani Matlala, Vusimusi’s wife, attends the hearing.Tebogo LetsieParliament relocated the hearings to Kgosi Mampuru prison due to mounting security threats linked to Matlala’s testimony. Officials feared interference from police officers he had implicated, as well as the possibility of intimidation or even assassination attempts aimed at silencing him or influencing the proceedings. The severity of these risks made transporting him outside the maximum-security facility a potential danger to everyone involved.There were also concerns for the safety of MPs, witnesses and parliamentary staff, who could be exposed to coordinated attacks if the hearings were held in a public venue. To mitigate these risks and maintain strict control over the environment, the committee concluded that convening the proceedings inside the prison under full lockdown was the safest and most secure option.Life under scrutinyToday, at 49, Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala stands as a symbol of South Africa’s complex relationship between crime, poverty, influence and the state. From a street child in Mamelodi to a businessperson securing multimillion-rand tenders and now a crucial witness testifying against powerful men, his story reflects the blurred line between survival and power in the country’s security landscape.