Authored By: Rivaldo Beukes
University of Free State
Abstract
This article examines how criminals can infiltrate the legal system with the help of high-ranking officials — from convicted criminal Cat Matlala to former and suspended Ministers of Police Bheki Cele and Senzo Mchunu. It further considers the role of the National Prosecuting Authority and allegations of unethical judicial conduct.
This has been an ongoing crisis in South Africa, one that Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi further exposed. That little has changed since the Zondo Commission, through to the Madlanga Commission in 2018, remains a troubling mystery. The public has put pressure on the President to hold officials accountable, and the stakes could not be higher.
Introduction
When appointed as a government official or public official, one is expected to perform their duties to the best of their ability — not hand their friends R360 million tenders. How a single man with a history of over 20 cases against him, some resulting in convictions, others withdrawn or resulting in acquittals, was able to single-handedly gain access to the South African Police Services is a question that demands an answer. If it is not corruption, what is it?
Mkhwanazi Press Conference: An Exposé of Corruption
On 6 July 2025, in Durban, South Africa, Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi held a press conference in which he stated that the legal system in South Africa had been infiltrated, and that public officials were making his job difficult by protecting their criminal associates. He identified the following institutions as having been compromised by corruption:
- South African Police Services
- National Prosecuting Authority
- State Security Agency
- Judiciary and Magistracy
- Metro Police Departments
In addition to identifying these compromised institutions, the Commissioner listed the names of individuals he alleged were making the work of the Police Services difficult:
- Senzo Mchunu
- Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala
- Cedric Nkabinde
- Brown Mogotsi
Among his most serious allegations, the Commissioner stated that then-Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu had disbanded the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) — a highly effective organisation with a strong record of prosecuting criminals — specifically to protect Cat Matlala from facing criminal charges.
In the wake of these revelations, the President was compelled to establish the Madlanga Commission, tasked with examining each of the abovementioned sectors in light of the corruption allegations.
Background: Who Is Cat Matlala?
How does a convicted criminal, with over 18 cases withdrawn against him, obtain a tender from the South African Police Service? Is it merely coincidental that his cases keep disappearing and that he is then rewarded with a R360 million government tender? The now-suspended Minister of Police awarded Cat Matlala that very tender, which was later cancelled due to irregularities.
Matlala is heavily linked to Minister Mchunu. Mchunu is also accused of sabotaging the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) and facilitating the removal of 121 dockets. How does a Minister of Police make the decision to disband such a credible and effective organisation, if not to benefit his fellow criminal associate — the same associate who was subsequently awarded the R360 million tender?
Ministers of the South African Police Services and Cat Matlala
There was widespread outrage across South Africa when former Police Minister Bheki Cele testified at the Madlanga Commission that he had indeed met with Cat Matlala — but maintained that the meeting concerned how to ease the strained relationship between Matlala and the SAPS, who he claimed were persistently harassing him and conducting raids at his home. Cele further testified that Matlala had told him that the then-Minister Senzo Mchunu had approached Matlala with a request for him to sponsor Mchunu’s presidential campaign.
Matlala, however, offered a starkly different account. He stated under oath that he met with former Minister Cele because he had given Cele R500,000 in cash so that the Police would stop harassing him. Notably, Cele never disclosed receiving R500,000 in cash in his own testimony, and instead implicated suspended Minister Mchunu — apparently without anticipating that Matlala would testify under oath that he had paid Cele directly.
Suspended Minister Mchunu, for his part, initially stated in a press conference that he had never known Cat Matlala. Yet, when he appeared before the Commission, he admitted that he did in fact know Matlala and considered him a friend. The Minister lied to the public — conduct that is prohibited for any public official of the Republic of South Africa. In the same press conference, he declared: “I have never spoken and received anything from him” — a claim Bheki Cele directly contradicted at the Commission, testifying that Mchunu had sought Matlala’s financial backing for his presidential campaign through the very tender that had been irregularly awarded.
The Legislation Governing Public Officials
The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 20041 is the primary legislation combating corruption by officials in South Africa. Section 3 of the Act designates bribery as an offence,2 while Section 4 addresses the abuse of power or position.3 The penalties for these offences are severe: they can carry a custodial sentence of up to 18 years and unlimited fines, and a conviction may also result in the confiscation of assets.
The Rule of Law is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, and it is essential in ensuring accountability, equality, and justice.4 Section 195 of the Constitution, 1996, further sets out the principles that govern public officials, which include accountability, transparency, efficiency, and impartiality.5 The White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service, 1995, similarly requires that public officials uphold the principles of a transformed, accountable public service.6
When these are the laws that govern how officials should conduct themselves — laws they swore an oath to uphold — one would expect that oath to be binding upon their conscience. Yet when the prospect of personal gain arises, all professional and moral obligations appear to be discarded. The manner in which South Africans regard government officials has deteriorated significantly over the years. Public trust has been lost. The President is expected to make new appointments and restore confidence in these institutions. The culture of professionalism and loyalty to the state and the people of South Africa has been grievously undermined.
Conclusion
The evidence suggests that Cat Matlala used Ministers Bheki Cele and Senzo Mchunu as instruments to infiltrate the system. He allegedly paid them large sums of money to ensure his cases would be dropped, allowing him to continue his criminal lifestyle unimpeded. Through these connections, he was ultimately awarded a R360 million government tender. Mchunu awarded the tender to Matlala, and in return, Mchunu reportedly expected Matlala to fund his presidential campaign — with the very money looted from the public purse.
The legislative framework is clear. The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act exists precisely to address conduct of this nature, and Section 195 of the Constitution demands no less than full accountability from those entrusted with public office. The Madlanga Commission presents a critical opportunity to translate these legal standards into real consequences. South Africans deserve nothing less.
Reference(S):
1 Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004 (S Afr).
2 Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004 (S Afr) s 3.
3 Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004 (S Afr) s 4.
4 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
5 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 s 195.
6 White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service, 1995.
