KZN Hawks Boss Reveals ‘Cat’ Matlala’s Secret Meeting with Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi

Key Takeaways

• KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major General Lesetja Senona was questioned about a meeting with controversial businessman Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala and KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
• The meeting allegedly discussed a R360-million contract awarded to Matlala’s company, Medicare 24 Tshwane District, which was later cancelled.
• Senona denied arranging the meeting, claiming it was organised by former police minister Bheki Cele, and said he only accompanied Matlala to the meeting.
• Mkhwanazi sent WhatsApp messages to Senona, which were read into the record at the Madlanga Commission, suggesting that Matlala had provided information about a suspended deputy national commissioner in exchange for assistance with purchase orders.
• The commission questioned Senona’s testimony, pointing out inconsistencies and a lack of denial of Mkhwanazi’s claims.

Introduction to the Madlanga Commission
The Madlanga Commission, established to investigate various issues related to policing and corruption, heard testimony from KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major General Lesetja Senona on Tuesday, 27 January. Senona was grilled over a meeting he allegedly arranged and attended with controversial businessman and attempted murder accused Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala and KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on 15 April 2025. The meeting was allegedly arranged to discuss why SAPS was not issuing purchase orders linked to Matlala’s company, Medicare 24 Tshwane District, which had irregularly been awarded a R360-million contract by SAPS to provide health screening services, which was later cancelled.

The Meeting and Its Purpose
At the time of the meeting, the KZN-based Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was investigating Matlala and his alleged associates in a range of cases. Investigations by the PKTT, which Mkhwanazi has consistently defended, led to Matlala’s arrest. The December 2024 disbandment of the PKTT led Mkhwanazi to go public in July 2025 with claims that organised crime members, including Matlala, had allegedly infiltrated policing within South Africa, as well as potentially funding politicians and political parties. Senona denied arranging the April 2025 meeting, saying it had been organised by former police minister Bheki Cele, who Senona said didn’t attend the meeting. Senona maintained that he merely accompanied Matlala, whom he claimed was uncomfortable meeting Mkhwanazi alone.

WhatsApp Messages and Their Significance
According to Senona, Mkhwanazi agreed to assist Matlala with purchase orders and offered to halt an investigation against him related to the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane, in exchange for information on suspended deputy national commissioner of crime detection Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, who was allegedly close to Matlala. The contents of the April meeting were reflected in a series of WhatsApp messages sent by Mkhwanazi to Senona, which were allowed to be read into the record at the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday after extensive deliberation, on condition that certain names be omitted. Senona received the messages on 26 November 2025, the same day Matlala testified from Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Parliament’s ad hoc committee, which is probing the same issues as the Madlanga Commission.

Senona’s Testimony and Inconsistencies
In the ad hoc hearing in November 2025, Matlala testified that Cele arranged the meeting with Mkhwanazi after he complained to the former minister about not receiving purchase orders and experiencing payment delays. However, Senona’s testimony at the Madlanga Commission raised several inconsistencies. Commissioner Sesi Baloyi questioned multiple aspects of Senona’s testimony, pointing out that he didn’t reply to Mkhwanazi’s WhatsApps to dispute that he organised the Matlala meeting. She also pointed out that Senona never denied telling Mkhwanazi that he had grown up with Matlala. Senona responded that it was a human error and emphasised that he was still under oath. He disputed Mkhwanazi’s claim that he and Matlala had grown up together, stating that Matlala was from Mamelodi, while he was from Soshanguve, and that there was no way they could have grown up together.

Senona’s Relationship with Matlala
Speaking about the nature of his relationship with Matlala, Senona told the commission that they met around 2019 in Pretoria during his traditional wedding. He said Matlala was introduced to him by a relative of his wife. Senona considered Matlala a friend and a younger brother in their culture. However, the friendship appeared to have crossed a line when Senona forwarded a leaked letter concerning the disbandment of the PKTT to Matlala on 1 January 2025. Senona explained that the letter had already been circulating on social media and was in the public domain, and that he had simply shared it with a friend. However, the commission noted that Senona was unable to explain what significance the disbandment letter may have held for Matlala, finding it unusual that he chose to share the document with him.