A leaked draft affidavit has put businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala back in the headlines. He prepared it for a proposed agreement with prosecutors, but the vusimuzi cat matlala plea deal never went through. The draft still lays out a long list of alleged favours, gifts and payments linked to senior police officers. Here is a simple breakdown of what the document says and what happened in court.
Why the Plea Deal Fell Apart
Matlala had agreed with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to serve eight years in prison. The deal still needed approval from the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, and the court said no.
Magistrate Ignatius du Preez ruled that eight years was too light for the scale of the alleged corruption. He also felt Matlala was using his cooperation as a bargaining chip, instead of showing real remorse.
The court suggested 12 years instead. Matlala and his defence team turned that down and withdrew from the agreement.
In simple terms, a plea deal lets an accused person admit guilt in return for an agreed outcome. It sounds easy on paper, but a court must still decide whether the sentence is fair. That is exactly where this deal broke down. You can read more about how prosecutions work on the NPA website.
What Matlala Says About Shadrack Sibiya
The draft affidavit confirms that Matlala knew former deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. Matlala says Sibiya invited him to a party at his home. He says he went with his wife and saw several senior people there. He names Major General Sandrah Thema, General Hilda Senthumule, General Richard Shibiri and Robert McBride.
Matlala says his wife can back up his story. He also disputes Sibiya’s earlier testimony. According to that testimony, Sibiya was not hosting Matlala as a guest and only came to collect his wife.
The affidavit then moves to gifts. Matlala claims he handed Sibiya 20 impalas during the life of the medical contract, because Sibiya asked for them. He says his farm manager, Rudi Botha, hired a truck to deliver the animals after instructions sent over WhatsApp.
Why would he agree to such requests? Matlala says it was because of Sibiya’s rank. He also believed Sibiya had helped Medicare24 win its medical contract with the police.
The R4 million plot of land
Matlala also describes a trip to Midrand with Sibiya to look at a plot of land. He claims Sibiya wanted him to buy it for R4 million. Matlala says he did not have the cash at the time. He says the plan was to pay in stages as money came in from the South African Police Service (SAPS).
He says he can point out the property and knows who sold it. He alleges the seller later came to his office and asked when a R400 000 payment would arrive. That was the moment, he says, when he realised the extortion would never stop. He then decided not to buy the land.
Sibiya’s separate legal troubles
Sibiya is facing separate charges. They relate to the alleged grooming of a 16 year old girl and the alleged rape of an 18 year old. He was refused bail on 20 October and is being held at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility. He resigned from SAPS on 12 October, just as his disciplinary hearing started. These charges have nothing to do with the Medicare24 matter.
Claims About Bheki Cele
The affidavit also describes two meetings with former police minister Bheki Cele. The first took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel on 23 December 2024. Matlala says he raised his problems with the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) and what he says happened during a police raid on his home.
He says Cele promised to help sort out the impasse. Cele also told him he was caught up in a “Zulu War”. Matlala says he does not know what that meant.
Later, Cele allegedly visited Matlala at his Johannesburg flat. Matlala says the former minister made two phone calls there. One went to Lieutenant General Chamane and the other to PKTT project manager Dumisani Khumalo. Matlala says Cele agreed to meet Khumalo. He says Cele also told Khumalo that Matlala would withdraw a civil theft case against the PKTT. Matlala has alleged that officers stole from him during the raid.
Rachel Matjeng and the Medicare24 Contract
Matlala also confirms a relationship with Brigadier Rachel Matjeng. He says they met during a visit to SAPS. She got his number from a friend, and the two later became romantically involved.
He says he paid her R300 000 in total, in three payments of R100 000. According to him, she asked for help to repair her car. He adds that Major General Thema told him Matjeng was in charge of medical screening for forensic science laboratory staff.
Matjeng is facing fraud and corruption charges linked to the R360 million Medicare24 contract. SAPS has since dismissed her.
Matlala makes another claim about the Medicare24 contract. He says Matjeng came to him after the contract was awarded. She told him her colleague, Colonel Mngadi, was struggling financially and needed R20 000. Mngadi was a member of the bid evaluation committee. Matlala says he agreed and handed R20 000 in cash to Matjeng at a house in Silvertondale, so she could pass it on.
The Thema Connection and the SAPS Hospital
Matlala says Matjeng introduced him to Thema during the Covid pandemic. He understood Thema to be in charge of police colleges. A plan was floated for Medicare to provide screening or vaccination services to police trainees, but it never happened.
He alleges Thema then advised him to apply to lease the SAPS hospital in Tshwane. He also claims she supplied a proxy to receive financial benefits on her behalf. In his words, the idea was that Thema would steer as many students as possible to the hospital. He would then bill SAPS heavily.
A Simple Summary of the Main Claims
The names and dates can be hard to follow. This table gives an easy overview of what Matlala alleges in the draft.
| Person | Alleged request or link | Alleged amount or item |
|---|---|---|
| Shadrack Sibiya | Gifts and a land purchase | 20 impalas, plus a R4 million plot |
| Rachel Matjeng | Car repairs | R300 000 in three payments |
| Colonel Mngadi (through Matjeng) | Help with money problems | R20 000 in cash |
| Sandrah Thema | SAPS hospital lease plan | Proxy for financial benefits |
| Bheki Cele | Two meetings about the PKTT | No payment alleged |
What Readers Should Keep in Mind
These are allegations from a draft document. They are not court findings, and none of them has been tested in court. The affidavit was prepared for a deal that the court rejected, so it was never formally accepted. People named in it have not been proven guilty of anything because of it.
Still, the story shows how closely the public is watching the Medicare24 case. Matlala now has to face the court without the protection of an agreed sentence. Prosecutors, the court and the people named in his draft will all be watched closely in the weeks ahead.
For official updates on police matters, you can visit the South African Police Service website. Keep checking trusted news sources too, because this story is still developing.
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