This week’s proceedings at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system were dominated by WhatsApp chats that allege wrongdoing between alleged drug cartel member Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and senior government officials.
On Tuesday, Witness X testified in a partially closed session at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
The commission is chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
Witness X’s statement took the commission through the WhatsApp chats between Matlala and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Hawks head Maj-Gen Lesetja Senona.
The chats between Matlala and Senona took place between December 22 2024 and May 14 2025. The chats were beamed on a screen at the commission for all to see.
Witness X’s statement stated that chats reveal that there is a beneficial relationship between Matlala and Senona.
The statement said Senona has an interest in protecting Matlala. It said that Senona has shared institutional and confidential police information with Matlala.
Familial benefits
In his statement, Witness X said Matlala and Senona were discussing facilitating a property deal for Senona’s son, Thato.
The discussion was on Senona getting Matlala to buy Thato a two-bedroom apartment flat in Menlyn, Pretoria.
Witness X’s statement states that he does not know if the purchase of the property was concluded.
Furthermore, in the chats, Senona tells Matlala that he must challenge and fight the South African Police Service’s decision to terminate his R360 million three-year tender with the SAPS.
The other Mkhwanazi
Moreover, Witness X’s statement covers chats between Matlala and Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy police chief Julius Mkhwanazi. Mkhwanazi is on special leave.
The chats are for the period between February 13 2025 and May 12 2025.
The chats show that in March Matlala contacted Mkhwanazi and asked him to “assist” and “intervene” in a situation whereby his driver was arrested for exceeding the speed limit while driving. The driver, Given Makofane, was driving 90km/h in a 60km/h zone.
Witness X’s statement states that Mkhwanazi sent Matlala a voice note where he said “the person was arrested and placed at the police station in the morning. He was released on bail and will only pay a fine”.
Matlala responded to the voice note by saying: “It’s okay ngamla, he is out already, thanks though”.
The commission was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 13 after KZN provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s explosive media briefing on July 6 where he said politicians in parliament, police officers, metro police officers, correctional service officials, prosecutors and members of the judiciary in Gauteng are part of a criminal syndicate in Gauteng, and they are controlled by drug cartels and business people in Gauteng.
In camera testimony – on and off
Meanwhile, during Tuesday’s open proceedings, Witness X was testifying remotely and off camera due to Madlanga’s ruling.
The commission’s evidence leaders and media houses News24 and Daily Maverick agreed to have Witness X testify through remote and off camera testimony instead of in-camera testimony.
The answers of Witness X to questions posed by the evidence leaders were repeated publicly through an intermediary whose voice was broadcast live as the evidence leader repeated the witness’s words.
Madlanga then said the commission ran into technical difficulties that had the potential of endangering the safety of Witness X. As a result, the commission decided to stop proceeding in accordance with the ruling made by agreement on Tuesday morning.
The remote testimony was stopped due to concerns over Witness X’s safety.
Madlanga then ruled that the evidence of Witness X will be tendered in a different format.
He said the evidence leader will read Witness X’s statement into the record.
During Thursday and Friday’s proceedings, the new witness testified in-camera after Madlanga’s ruling.
The new witness’s testimony was in-camera because it was about ongoing police investigations.
The week ahead
Also on Tuesday, Madlanga ruled that the evidence of one of the three in-camera witnesses to be called in the period from Monday October 20 2025 to Wednesday October 22 2025 will be heard remotely, off camera and the said the answers of the witness to questions posed by the evidence leaders will be repeated publicly through an intermediary whose voice will be broadcast live as the evidence leader repeats the witness’s words.
Madlanga said the evidence of the remaining two in-camera witnesses to be called in the period from Monday October 20 2025 to Wednesday October 22 2025 will be heard as the witness will testify remotely and off camera.
The witnesses will not testify through intermediaries and their answers to questions of the evidence leaders will be broadcast live.
Madlanga said apart from the five witnesses who testified between Tuesday and Friday this week, and those who will be testifying between Monday and Wednesday next week, the evidence leaders will not seek to lead any other witnesses in-camera without making a new application to the commission and making the fact of that application publicly known at least 72 hours before the witness is called to testify.
The commission resumes on Monday at 9:30am.
