Matlala tells ad hoc committee he paid Cele R500,000

Cele has previously denied receiving any money from Matlala.

Matlala made the statement during a special sitting of the committee, convened at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre on Wednesday. 

The hearing forms part of Parliament’s inquiry into allegations that criminal networks have infiltrated and influenced police structures, procurement processes and internal decision-making within the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Matlala said the payments occurred at a time when he was raising concerns about delays in payments and purchase orders related to the now-cancelled R360-million SAPS health services contract awarded to his company in 2024.

“I can confirm that I did make payments,” he said. 

“The former minister kept asking me for money. I explained to him that SAPS was not paying me on time, and that the income people believed I was making from the contract was not the reality.”

Matlala told the committee that he initially resisted the requests for money, but said the pressure escalated after he was introduced to senior SAPS figures who, according to him, were discussing possible cancellation of the contract and questioning its legitimacy. 

He said the conversations created an environment in which his position felt insecure, and that this is when the payments took place.

Meeting with Cele and referral to Mkhwanazi

Matlala testified that his early discussions with Cele revolved around the difficulties he said he faced in receiving adequate purchase orders from SAPS under the health services contract. 

He said the minister told him the person who could assist him was KZN Police  Commissioner General Nhlanhla  Mkhwanazi.

"Mr Cele said he was aware of the issue but that the person who could explain the situation properly was General Mkhwanazi, because he was directly involved.

 "He told me to meet him so that I could understand what was happening inside SAPS regarding the contract.”

He said the referral to Mkhwanazi led to a series of further conversations, during which he was informed that the SAPS was issuing only minimal purchase orders under the contract because internal leadership had raised concerns about its implementation. 

He said Mkhwanazi told him that senior SAPS management wanted to avoid breaching contractual terms while considering cancellation.

“He explained that the orders were being kept small deliberately,” Matlala said. 

“He said they did not want to breach the contract and that, in fact, if it were up to them alone, they would not have sent any purchase orders. The message was that they wanted to cancel the contract.”

Discussions about cancellation and change of position

Matlala told MPs that Mkhwanazi informed him of internal discussions at a SAPS summit about the future of the contract. 

He said he was told that the National Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, had been instructed at one point to begin cancellation procedures, but later seemed reluctant to proceed.

“According to General Mkhwanazi, the national commissioner had at one stage believed that he should cancel the contract because a directive had been issued. 

"But when he later sought clarity, he found that the minister was no longer giving that instruction.”

Matlala said he was informed that the sudden change in direction had raised suspicions among some SAPS generals, who questioned whether the minister’s position had shifted due to external influence. 

He told the committee that Mkhwanazi conveyed speculation about possible threats or perceptions within SAPS leadership, but insisted that he could not verify the accuracy of those claims.

Responding to questions from MPs, Matlala said he asked General Mkhwanazi about a reported discussion in which the general allegedly told the National Commissioner that he could “take care of Cat” if the commissioner felt endangered by the situation.

“I asked him what that meant,” Matlala said. 

“He did not say he would kill me, but he said there was only one way he could take care of me permanently. He did not elaborate, but the implication was clear to me.”

He emphasised that he could not confirm the internal dynamics within SAPS, saying he could only relay the conversations as they were presented to him. 

“I cannot confirm what they were actually planning,” he said. “I can only explain what was said to me.”

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