Alleged drug cartel member Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has told Parliament’ ad hoc committee that missing farmer Jerry Boshoga was on his way to fetch ingredients for making drugs when he was kidnapped in Centurion in November last year.
Matlala was testifying before the committee investigating allegations by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, on Thursday.
He said he and Boshoga were friends, and that he knew he was dealing in drugs. Although he denied being involved in any drug activities himself, and said he never judged Boshoga.
Boshoga was collecting drug-making material
Matlala explained that he was asleep at home when Boshoga’s brother called saying his brother was missing. He explained that they were collecting 20-liter drums containing material used to manufacture “narcotics”.
“In the drums, it’s some stuff that Jerry used to manufacture these narcotics,” said Matlala.
Boshoga drove in one car with his brother. Tt the meeting point there was a Mercedes Benz that Boshoga got into. They (Boshoga and the other guy) said they would return but never did. Late that evening Boshoga’s brother called Matlala to tell him what happened.
Matlala said he drove to the house after the call, where Boshoga’s wife told him her husband had said he owed someone money and had gone to meet the person, whose name he had forgotten.
Boshoga has not been seen since, although ransom-demanding videos showing him tied up have surfaced online.
His associate’s wife abducted, released
Matlala is also a suspect in the disappearance. He confirmed that the special task force that raided his home on December 6 questioned him about Boshoga. They also questioned him about Ranti Dikgale’s wife and child, who have since been found. Dikgale is Boshoga’s business partner, whose abducted wife and child were released after an undisclosed ransom amount was paid.
He further claimed that SAPS deputy national commissioner Shadrack Sibiya also questioned him and told him his name had been linked to the matter.
Matlala told the committee that their friendship included financial dealings. He confirmed Boshoga owed him more than R100, 000 at the time he went missing.
He said Boshoga had borrowed R1-million for the farming business he is known for. And he had been paying it back through his business accounts. While he admitted that borrowed money could be used for anything, he believed it was for farming.
Sheet similar to one in torture video
Sunday World previously reported that a white sheet seen in ransom videos was found at Matlala’s house during the December raid. This was revealed at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System by Witness C, an anonymous witness.
He said a Malawian general worker named Yusuf was found at the house. And that the suspicious white sheets were being used as curtains in his room.
“The white sheet is distinctive because in one of the ransom videos that were sent to Boshoga’s family, there was a white sheet that resembles the one in Matlala’s house. The white, clean sheet in the ransom videos had even edges, and it was torn off with hands.
“The clean sheet found in Matlala’s house resembled the one in the video. And it was manually tied to the window as a curtain,” said Witness C.
