Cele admits error in knowing Matlala ‘very well,’ faces scrutiny

Former Police Minister Bheki Cele returned to Parliament on Friday for the second day of his testimony before the Ad Hoc Committee investigating the South African Police Service (SAPS) scandal involving businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

The inquiry is probing allegations of irregular contracts, possible abuse of ministerial influence, and the overall accountability of the SAPS leadership.

The committee was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate reports linking senior SAPS officials to Matlala, a businessman who allegedly benefited from lucrative tenders and who has been at the centre of controversy following revelations about questionable dealings linked to state institutions. 

Members of Parliament are seeking to determine whether Cele acted appropriately and whether the SAPS was compromised by relationships that raised ethical and governance concerns.

The second day of proceedings was marked by intense questioning, emotional exchanges, and moments of reflection from Cele himself. Cele told the committee that upon reflection, he no longer believed that three months was enough to truly know Matlala.

A question from portfolio committee member Khuselo Diko, who raised an incident involving KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Diko reminded Cele of an allegation Mkhwanazi once made against him, which was later withdrawn.

“What did you think or feel when that allegation was made, and do you accept Mkhwanazi’s apology?” Diko asked.

Cele took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his head and face, and murmured “iyajulukisa,” which means “this is making me sweat,” drawing light laughter in the tense room.

“Chairperson,” Cele began, “one police officer I like is Mkhwanazi. Not because he is beautiful or what, but because he knows his work. But Mkhwanazi is a human being like me and you. He has his faults. The South African society has sung him hallelujah, and as a human being you’d love to float in the clouds of popularity. Out of that you begin to make mistakes.”

He added, “Mkhwanazi said to me, ‘I am sorry, Minister.’ I believe that the mistakes he makes are genuine ones. I have not seen him yet. I am planning to see him. As I sit here, I do believe he made a genuine mistake. Yes, you need to be pardoned, but I have not arrived there yet.”

Cele’s remarks followed an intense first day of testimony on Thursday, during which he admitted to knowing Matlala and having stayed at his penthouse in Pretoria more than once. That admission drew strong reactions from opposition members, including the Democratic Alliance’s Glynnis Breytenbach, who challenged the former minister over inconsistencies in his account.

Breytenbach noted that on Thursday Cele claimed to know Matlala “very well,” but had since backtracked. “This morning you were quick to retract that you knew Matlala very well,” she said. “Why did you initially say that?”

Cele responded, “It could not be that a person you know for few months you would know very well. There are few things that make one know a person very well. Firstly, it is time. Secondly, it is association, such as knowing one’s family, where you live, how you live, taking drinks together, and the behaviour after taking a drink. If I know you through semi-work or meetings or hotels, then it cannot be very well. Humans make mistakes, and me saying very well was a mistake.”

Breytenbach pressed further, saying she found it hard to believe that Cele met Matlala only in December and had no prior knowledge of him. “Did you know about him without having met him?” she asked.

Cele replied, “It would be about two weeks when I read a story about Tembisa Hospital and him getting a contract from the police. Before that I didn’t know him.”

Breytenbach continued, “Would it surprise you that he had a criminal record or a history of brushes with the police?”

Cele said, “With all the evidence I have read, it’s about 18 cases withdrawn and some acquitted. That is why I asked myself how he goes below the radar for me in that situation.”

Breytenbach asked how Cele could have missed it. He answered, “There are many things I wouldn’t know. One person I did not know but who seems big in the crime world is KT Molefe. He has been convicted in London for fraudulent documents. You must be big to be arrested in London. But I didn’t know anything about him either.”

The MP then asked whether Cele felt comfortable staying in Matlala’s flat after learning about his alleged involvement in the Tembisa Hospital tender scandal.

Cele asked for clarification before replying, “The ideas and behaviour that I had then are definitely different from my attitude and behaviour towards him now.”

“Would you stay at his properties now?” Breytenbach asked.

“No. He is not my friend. He has never been a friend,” Cele said firmly.

The exchange then turned to Cele’s decision to suspend former Crime Intelligence head Richard Mdluli during his tenure as National Police Commissioner. Breytenbach questioned why Cele took that decision.

“I can’t remember whether he was charged or being investigated for the case of murder in the East Rand,” Cele said, referring to the Oupa Ramogibe case. “I think he was charged. You could not have a head of Crime Intelligence charged and still running the unit, so he had to be suspended.”

Breytenbach pointed out that the charges were later withdrawn. Cele sighed and said, “Honourable member, I really don’t know. Police have been suffering. You sit here and say the police have done a good job, but I wonder what happened in that statement. Police believed they had a case in the Tembe matter,” referring to the late girlfriend of musician AKA.

Cele suggested that some prosecutors were undermining police investigations by granting bail or dropping charges. “It’s the whole system that is giving us problems. Sometimes I felt numb,” he said.

Breytenbach responded that she did not deny the system’s flaws, saying it was “rotten from the bottom up.”

The Ad Hoc Committee continues its hearings as members seek to determine whether Cele’s relationship with Matlala compromised his duties or the integrity of the police service. The inquiry is expected to conclude its evidence hearings by the end of November before compiling its findings and recommendations to Parliament.