How a former 'street kid' became the central figure in South Africa's police corruption inquiry
Image: BBC News
Vusimusi "Cat" Matlala's name has haunted South Africa's biggest inquiry into alleged police corruption — and this week, the controversial businessman is finally expected to answer for it himself.
The 49-year-old, held in police custody for over a year on a separate case, stands accused of handing out lavish gifts — including 20 impalas, the weight-loss drug Ozempic and personal loans — to buy influence and win police contracts.
He is due before retired Constitutional Court judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga and his panel, ten months into a commission that has gripped the nation. Dressed in a Fendi shirt and Gucci glasses, Matlala gave evidence at a parallel parliamentary inquiry last November, denying corruption and saying he barely knew senior officers — though he admitted donating to ANC activities.
Why it matters: The allegations cut to the heart of South African anxieties about capture and impunity. Matlala has not yet faced the wider claims aired at the Madlanga Commission — including the accusation that he was part of a drug-trafficking cartel allegedly known as the Big Five. His testimony could be a watershed moment for a country weary of graft scandals that rarely reach the powerful.
His rise is itself a story. Born in 1976 under apartheid, he grew up in a township east of Pretoria and only came to prominence three years ago via reports of tender irregularities at a state hospital — which he says had nothing to do with him.
He and his wife Tsakane also deny an attempted murder charge, adding to a portfolio of legal battles that have kept him in the headlines.
What's next: As Matlala takes the stand, South Africans will be watching whether his answers untangle the web of contracts, gifts and alleged cartels — or deepen the mystery.