Controversial North West businessman Brown Mogotsi has alleged that national commissioner of police General Fannie Masemola and KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi received money from alleged drug cartel member and attempted murder-accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
This information was revealed by Mogotsi during his testimony on Tuesday at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, which took place in Pretoria.
Mogotsi, who is also a comrade of police minister Senzo Mchunu, said he has been a registered informant of the South African Police Service (SAPS) since 1999.
Mogotsi said he is also an agent of SAPS’s crime intelligence unit.
Cele ‘received money’ from Matlala
He alleged that after police conducted a search operation at Matlala’s Centurion house in December 2024, Matlala called him to express his anger with Masemola and former police minister Bheki Cele.
“Matlala said he is angry with the way Masemola and Cele are treating him. He said Masemola asked him for R25-million from the R360-million SAPS health tender he got, but he only gave him R5-million.
“He said he gave Bheki Cele R2-million from the R8-million he asked for,” said Mogotsi, adding that Matlala also gave money to Mkhwanazi.
“Matlala called me the day General Mkhwanazi held a media briefing on July 6, 2025. This is the day Matlala was caught with a cellphone in his prison cell. Matlala said he was angry after watching Mkhwanazi’s briefing.
“He said he met Mkhwanazi in his house in Durban and gave him money. He said he is angry Mkhwanazi could speak like that about him in the media briefing even after giving him money.”
January 8 Statement payments
Meanwhile, Mogotsi confirmed that Matlala paid for the flights, accommodation, and entertainment of eight ANC members linked to him so that they could attend the ANC’s January 8 Statement presidential gala dinner in Cape Town on January 10, 2025.
Matlala, according to Mogotsi, paid R149 000 for the flights, accommodation, and entertainment of the eight ANC members.
He said the R149 000 was paid into a bank account of a company called Kgohle, which is owned by Mogotsi’s fiancée.
Mogotsi is testifying under phase two of the commission’s work.
Phase one was to formally place the “untested allegations” by Mkhwanazi before the commission, setting the foundation for the entire inquiry.
Phase one was also about corroborating and substantiating allegations made by Mkhwanazi but not testing them. Mkhwanazi was the commission’s first witness.
Phase two of the commission, which will run until early 2026, allows those implicated in phase one to present their version of the allegations.
Phase three will give Mkhwanazi and other key witnesses a chance to counter the allegations made by those implicated in wrongdoing.
