Key figure in South African police corruption scandal pleads guilty

Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, a central figure in a major ongoing police graft inquiry, has pleaded guilty to corruption, fraud and money‑laundering charges as part of a deal with state prosecutors.

Authorities accused the 49‑year‑old of bribing top police officials to secure a 360‑million‑rand (about £16.5 million) tender for his health company, Medicare24, in 2024.

The plea agreement—still pending acceptance by the magistrate—would compel Matlala to testify against “high‑ranking officials,” state advocate Santhos Manilall said.

Police chief Gen Fannie Masemola, initially mentioned in relation to the case, has denied the charges.

Manilall explained that it took almost two months of negotiation to reach the deal, which, if approved, would see Matlala sentenced to eight years in prison.

The state’s lawyer characterised the agreement as a “sacrifice” for a more lenient sentence, noting that it would provide details that had previously been unknown.

Under the agreement, Matlala must give honest and frank testimony at future trials – a condition the magistrate will decide in Pretoria next week.

Matlala also faces a separate murder charge that he denies, and he has been named in the Madlanga Commission – a parliamentary inquiry into police corruption – as part of a drug‑trafficking cartel that allegedly infiltrated the police.

While he has yet to appear at the commission, witnesses presented earlier last September have accused senior police officers of colluding with criminal underworld figures.

The inquiry was set up after senior police officer Lt‑Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged, in July, that organised crime groups had penetrated the government’s ranks.