South Africa: Hit Job, Cash Bribes and Dirty Cops - Matlala Exposed At Madlanga Inquiry

31 October 2025
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Everson Luhanga
  • Witness C told the inquiry Matlala paid R150 000 for a botched assassination attempt on actress Tebogo Thobejane, who was shot in 2023 and later fled South Africa.
  • The witness also claimed Matlala delivered millions in cash and luxury gifts to suspended police boss Shadrack Sibiya in return for protection and lucrative SAPS contracts.

It was a day of shocking revelations at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on Friday as Witness C took the stand to spill the secrets of businessman Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala's dark empire.

According to the protected witness, Matlala allegedly paid R150 000 to have his former girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane, killed in 2023. The attack failed but left Thobejane injured and her passenger paralysed after their car came under fire on the N1 highway near Sandton, Johannesburg.

Witness C detailed how the payments were made in two instalments -- R50 000 days before the shooting and R100 000 the day after -- through a business account belonging to Nthabiseng Nzama, the daughter of one of Matlala's co-accused, Floyd Tiego Mahusela.

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Thobejane later fled the country in fear for her life.

But the revelations didn't end there. Witness C said Matlala also boasted about paying suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya millions in bribes to secure a massive South African Police Service (SAPS) health-services tender.

The cash, said to be handed over in plastic bags, allegedly funded a bed-and-breakfast business, a luxury car, and even Sibiya's son's wedding. In one instance, R200 000 was reportedly dropped in a dustbin at Sibiya's Pretoria office.

Other senior officers, including KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major-General Lesetja Senona, were also named in the testimony, accused of helping Matlala's companies land contracts and sharing in the kickbacks.

Audio recordings played to the commission captured Matlala describing Sibiya as "a criminal" and "a pitbull", complaining that his police allies had turned on him after his arrest.

Matlala was arrested in May 2025 in a dramatic police raid in Midrand and charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and money-laundering. His wife Tsakani and three others face the same charges.

The inquiry also heard that Matlala's businesses were linked to drug trafficking, illegal lending and the disappearance of businessman Jerry Boshoga. Investigators said he once held a R360-million SAPS contract and used his fortune to fund political campaigns.

Matlala remains in custody after several failed bail bids.

The Madlanga Commission continues on 11 November 2025, with more witnesses expected to reveal how deep the rot in the police service really goes.

Read the original article on Scrolla.

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