Alleged drug cartel member and attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has more than 20 protectors who are former special task force members of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
This information was revealed on Tuesday by the SAPS divisional commissioner for crime intelligence, Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System.
After falling ill while testifying five weeks ago, Khumalo returned to the witness stand.
In his testimony on Tuesday, Khumalo informed Advocate Adila Hassim SC, the commission’s evidence leader, that on December 6, the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team (PKTT) and the Gauteng counter-intelligence team of the police conducted a search operation at Matlala’s home in Centurion, Pretoria.
The police searched Matlala’s home for Jerry Boshoga, a missing businessman from Pretoria. He was abducted in November 2024 in Centurion, Pretoria.
Boshoga went missing after he said he was going to meet someone in Rooihuiskraal, Centurion.
Interpol asked to help
The SAPS has enlisted the help of the international police agency Interpol to help them locate Boshoga, according to national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.
According to Khumalo, police had to send in additional SAPS special task force members from outside Gauteng to conduct the search at Matlala’s residence.
“We needed to mobilize additional members of the special task force from outside Gauteng.
“This was primarily because we conducted a threat assessment on Mr Matlala and found that more than 20 of his protectors are former special force task members based on their profiles.
“We couldn’t perform our duties effectively if we sent a combat team to Matlala’s house that wasn’t as well-trained as what we would encounter,” Khumalo stated.
The commission continues.
A few weeks ago, Khumalo, the KwaZulu-Natal PKTT project leader, claimed that Matlala is a part of the “Big Five” drug cartel, which primarily engages in illicit drug trafficking both domestically and abroad.
According to Khumalo, the cartel also engages in extortion, tender fraud, kidnappings, contract killings, and cross-border carjackings, all of which are primarily connected to drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, in his current case, Matlala (49), his wife Tsakani (36), two alleged hitmen Musa Kekana (35) and Tiego Floyd Mabusela (47), and Nthabiseng Nzama (23), who is the daughter of Mabusela, have been charged with the October 2023 attempted murder of his ex-lover Tebogo Thobejane.
The five accused are facing various charges, including but not limited to attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud, money laundering, and defeating the ends of justice in connection with the alleged hit on Thobejane.
The Alexandra Magistrate’s Court will hear their case again on November 11.
Alleged hit on Thobejane
The three attempted murder charges against the defendant relate to the injuries Thobejane and her friends Khumbulani Ncube and Anele Malinga allegedly suffered in the alleged hit.
On the evening of October 17, 2023, Thobejane, Malinga, and Ncube were traveling in a black BMW when it was hit by a barrage of bullets at the intersection of Bryanston and Wilton Drive in Bryanston, Sandton, Johannesburg.
The shooting occurred between 10pm and 10.30pm.
Thobejane was shot in the foot, and Malinga sustained injuries after being shot in the spinal cord. This has paralysed Malinga.
Tsakani and Nzama are out on R20 000 and R10 000 bail, respectively. Kekana, Mabusela and Matlala remain under police custody.
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