Senior South African Police Service (SAPS) brigadier Rachel Matjeng has told the Madlanga commission that her relationship with suspected underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala was merely romantic, suggesting that the money and gifts she received from him were not bribes but romantic gestures.
Matjeng, an SAPS sectional head for quality management, denied that she had a hand in his company, Medicare24 securing the SAPS R360-million tender in June 2024.
She told the commission that her on-and-off romantic relationship with Matlala began in 2017, years before she was appointed to this position.
According to Matjeng, Matlala lavished her with gifts, money, chocolates, flowers, the weight-loss drug Ozempic, and lunch dates during their romantic liaison. She even admitted that long before he got the lucrative tender, the man she affectionately referred to as “Mr V” had promised to buy her a car as a testament to his fondness for her.
“That is reflected in the evidence. He would send me R10 000 and R20 000 between 2019 and 2021. This was a boyfriend gifting a girlfriend, but the money increased because his financial status had changed compared to the previous times,” she added.
However, the commission, which is probing allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system, sought to paint a different picture than that presented by Matjeng.
Evidence leader advocate Thabang Pooe highlighted a web of financial transfers, advice from Matjeng on contract performance, and extensive correspondence.
At the centre of the financial trail is a R300 000 payment Matlala made to an account held by Osizweni Butchery, an account number Matjeng admitted she had provided to him. The owner of the account, identified at the commission as Modiegi Kekana, is a friend of Matjeng’s.
According to Matjeng, only R100 000 was intended for her. However, the brigadier testified that she never received the funds because Kekana kept the money, claiming that Matlala owed her.
Advancing Matlala’s interests
Although Matjeng conceded that she advanced Matlala’s interests over those of SAPS when she advised him on how to respond to allegations of non-performance under the contract, she insisted that this assistance was not unique.
“There are other service providers that I have assisted in a similar way that I assisted Mr Matlala. I would call them and ask them to facilitate whatever they needed to do, just like when I was calling Mr Matlala and saying, ‘You need to facilitate your appointment’,” she said. “I assisted them and did not receive any financial benefit from them.”
Matjeng further testified that such engagement was standard practice once contracts were awarded.
She informed the commission that meetings with appointed service providers were standard routine for end users, contractors, stakeholders, and
suppliers.
“We would engage with the service provider for OEL (occupational exposure limit), waste management, proficiency testing and service providers for the personal protective equipment contract,” she testified.
Pooe pointed to the extensive correspondence between Matjeng and Matlala, as much of it focused on the contract, including requests from Matlala for contact details for SAPS members.
“When you consider the body of the texts between you and Mr Matlala, what it seems like is that Mr Matlala was sending you problems relating to the contract, and you were pushing his interests, sometimes against your own employer,” Pooe argued.
“And then we see payments, albeit that you deny they reached you; however, you must accept that you provided that account number. It appears you helped him with his contract, and he provided some gratification in the form of those payments and some favours.”
Matjeng rejected that argument. “I do not agree because Mr Matlala and I were in a relationship. He would even share his live location with me when he was in meetings, like the one he was going to attend with former minister of police Bheki Cele. The commission can further investigate our relationship,” she responded.
She admitted to the commission that she was sad over the cancellation of Medicare24’s contract, stating that it was going to affect medical surveillance services.
Pooe then questioned how Matjeng could be sad about the termination of the contract, considering that National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola had done so on grounds including misrepresentation, fronting and false representation of personnel, Matlala’s pending criminal cases, continued poor performance and irregularities in bidding documents.
“I do not want to comment on that because you want to put me in a difficult position. My comment would put my job at risk. I will say I agree with the letter written by my organisation.”
The Medicare24 deal was cancelled months after it was issued in June 2024 amid allegations of fraud, collusion and procurement irregularities, adding to the growing list of controversies surrounding Matlala’s business. He is currently being held at Bhongweni C-Max prison in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal, alongside some of the country’s most notorious inmates.
