Collapsed ‘Cat’ Matlala plea deal exposes alleged Idac plot against Mkhwanazi allies

Résumé détaillé

Organised crime-accused Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala has, on day three of his testimony, claimed that the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) was pursuing an agenda to…

Organised crime-accused Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala has, on day three of his testimony, claimed that the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) was pursuing an agenda to weaken KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi by targeting senior officers aligned with him and dismantling his support base within the SAPS.

The proposed deal related to the controversial R228-million SAPS Medicare24 contract case. Matlala had initially agreed to plead guilty to seven charges and receive a 15-year sentence, with seven years suspended — effectively eight years in prison — in exchange for turning State witness and implicating senior police officials.

He alleged that investigators told him their boss was depending on the agreement to proceed with the arrests of several senior police officers.

On that day, former Idac head Andrea Johnson was also scheduled to appear before the Madlanga Commission, but was taken ill and reportedly suffered a panic attack.

Matlala’s testimony on Wednesday was a continuation of allegations against Idac that began on Monday, 9 November 2026, when he accused suspended chief investigator Dylan Perumal and senior investigator Brian Padayachee of pressuring him into signing the agreement. He also alleged that his statement, commissioned by suspended senior investigator Suneel Bellochun on 14 June 2026, was altered three or four times by Perumal to suit the investigators’ version.

Matlala went further, telling the commission that more serious allegations concerning alleged wrongdoing within Idac and SAPS could not be aired publicly because of security concerns. His legal team and the commission’s evidence leaders agreed that the information should instead be submitted in an affidavit and addressed at another forum.

Meanwhile, Perumal was taken ill on Friday, 6 November, amid widespread social media reports that he had attempted suicide.

Matlala also claimed that Idac investigators tailored his Section 204 statement to…

At the…

Début de l'article, extrait de Daily Maverick. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.