Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala was a romantic, humble boyfriend who showered his police officer girlfriend with gifts and money.
Brigadier Rachel Matjeng shared this information on Thursday during her testimony at the Madlanga commission of inquiry in Pretoria.
“I know him as a humble, respectful, and romantic person, and I had never experienced the evil side that is being portrayed currently,” said Matjeng.
Matjeng, a senior officer in the South African Police Service’s forensic services division, said she met Matlala in 2017 after a colleague shared her picture on WhatsApp, attracting his interest.
She is the section head for quality management: criminal record and crime scene management in the division, which is based in Pretoria.
“She [a colleague] told me a guy called Cat wanted my number and was asking for my contact. After I asked for more information, I gave permission,” Matjeng explained.
The two began communicating and later entered into an on-and-off romantic relationship that spanned several years.
“We started talking and ended up having a romantic relationship. Sometimes we would go a year without talking to each other,” she said.
Arrest interrupted relationship
Matjeng confirmed that the relationship was still in existence before Matlala’s arrest. “The arrest did not end the relationship; it interrupted it,” remarked commissioner Sandile Khumalo.
Matjeng confirmed, however, stating that she presumes it has now ended.
She told the commission that Matlala often gave her gifts and sent her money during the relationship, emphasising that the gifts were personal and not linked to any professional influence.
“I never borrowed money from him. What I received were gifts and money from a boyfriend since 2017,” she testified.
She refuted any connection between the money she received and the awarding of the Medicare24 Tshwane contract.
“None of the monies that I received from him were related to me influencing the awarding of the tender,” Matjeng said.
She told the commission that when she realised her responsibilities overlapped with a company linked to Matlala, she informed her supervisor, Maj-Gen Manamela.
“I told my supervisor that I knew Mr Matlala and explained the nature of our relationship. I asked if I should recuse myself,” she said.
Procurement process
According to Matjeng, Manamela advised that the task fell within her scope of work and could not be delegated.
“He indicated that the facilitation of medical surveillance is solely the responsibility of the environmental compliance officer and that I still needed to address any challenges professionally,” she testified.
Matjeng said she played no role in the procurement process and did not know which service providers had submitted bids for the Medicare24 tender. “I was not aware of the service provider that submitted the bids for the tender,” she said.
She further explained that Matlala once requested that he send money to a different bank account.
“He said he did not want his wife to know because she only knew me as a friend. I then asked him to use the bank account of a friend who owns a butchery.”
She also told the commission that, to her knowledge, Matlala had no prior criminal history.
“Since our relationship, to my knowledge, he was never convicted or arrested for any criminal offence, except for an old case that was before our relationship,” Matjeng testified.
