Madlanga Commission dismisses Matlala’s bid to exclude plea evidence

The Madlanga Commission, chaired by Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, is set to reconvene for public hearings at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria. The businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala is scheduled to testify over two days in a legal dispute regarding questioning about matters pertaining to the tender of a South African Police Service (SAPS) healthcare contract.

Commission Chairperson Madlanga directed evidence leaders and Matlala's legal counsel to submit written arguments by 5pm on Sunday, adhering to Section 105A(10) of the Criminal Procedure Act. These arguments will address the applicability of the provision to issues Matlala may be questioned about. The dispute stems from Matlala's October 1 criminal case appearance, which was postponed to December 14 before being rescheduled for November 9 and 10.

Matlala's company, Medicare24, won the disputed contract in 2024, which SAPS terminated in May 2025 following an internal audit. Criminal charges against Matlala remain pending court proceedings. Public hearings were temporarily halted prior to South Africa's local government elections but continued in October and early November with confidential evidence.

The commission is in the process of preparing its final report, which is scheduled for completion on January 25, 2027. The inquiry aims to allow individuals implicated in previous testimony to respond to allegations against them, marking the beginning of Phase Three. Key witnesses, including former Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, are expected to testify under subpoena in the coming weeks.

The commission has also authorized two unidentified witnesses to testify in private on November 6 due to ongoing criminal investigations and concerns about informant protection. North West businessman Suliman Carrim, who failed to comply with a commission subpoena and remains in custody in a separate criminal case, was granted bail on October 28.

Bejani Chauke, former political adviser to President Cyril Ramaphosa, is involved in the inquiry following reported WhatsApp exchanges with the late taxi boss Jotham Msibi. Chauke had responded to a Regulation 10(6) notice in August but has not been summoned to testify yet. The commission has provided interim reports to Ramaphosa, with the final report due on the specified deadline.