Alleged crime figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has admitted before the Madlanga Commission that he paid suspended former deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya R500,000, which he claims was intended as a contribution towards Sibiya’s son’s wedding.
Matlala made the admission on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, contradicting his testimony a day earlier when he denied paying Sibiya R500,000 and maintained that the amount involved was only R50,000.
He insisted that the R500,000 was not paid for any improper purpose.
“The money was not for another thing,” Matlala told the commission.
The payment has been a subject of scrutiny during the inquiry, particularly amid allegations that Matlala used financial payments and gifts to secure influence within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Matlala, however, denied that the R500,000 was connected to the R228 million SAPS health services tender awarded to his company, Medicare24.
He also disputed a typed witness statement bearing his signature, alleging that it contained fabricated information. He suggested that Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) chief investigator Dylan Perumal had inserted the bribery allegations into the statement.
Matlala further alleged that investigators took him to the Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria and a nearby McDonald’s while preparing the statement, and claimed that they offered witness protection for his family if he implicated senior police officials.
Separately, he admitted giving Sibiya R50,000 during the SAPS Excellence Awards in KwaZulu-Natal, although he disputed that the money was a bribe handed over at Sibiya’s office.
The commission also heard Matlala accuse Sibiya of threatening his wife, Tsakani, over his intended disclosures to Parliament’s ad hoc committee.
The testimony comes amid continued scrutiny of the relationship between Matlala and senior police officials, as the commission examines allegations of corruption and interference within the criminal justice system.
