Murder suspect and alleged leader of the Big Five cartel, Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala. (Screenshot)
KwaZulu-Natal head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) Lesetja Sesona has denied allegations that he improperly used his position to leak confidential police information to businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
“At the outset I would like to say I have no financial interests in Mr Matlala’s business interests,” he testified at the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday.
Sesona was implicated by crime intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo at the commission investigating corruption in the police system. He was also implicated by anonymous Witnesses X and C who alleged that he abused his position by sharing sensitive information with Matlala.
Sesona dismissed the claims as “malicious, void of truth and amounting to conjecture”, saying witness allegations against him failed to prove a beneficial relationship between Matlala and himself.
He also denied the existence of the so-called Big 5 cartel in Gauteng, which Matlala is alleged to lead. He said he only became aware of the existence of criminal cartels in KwaZulu-Natal.
“I don’t know any Big 5. The Big 5 that I know are an elephant, a lion, a buffalo, rhinoceros and a leopard,” Sedona said.
“I am rarely privy to the particularities of investigation within other provinces led by my fellow [Hawks] heads or investigation by the greater SAPS (South African Police Service) body or specialised intervention units as the political killings task team (PKTT).
He further denied any criminal infiltration within the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal.
Sesona testified that he had met Matlala at a wedding in Mamelodi, Pretoria, in 2019, when he was introduced to him through his wife’s relative.
“I took a liking to him and we exchanged numbers,” he said.
He said the two would occasionally check in with each other and discuss social issues. Sesona acknowledged that he assisted Matlala to meet a contractor interested in his private security company but stressed that he was not involved in Matlala’s business dealings.
Sesona told the commission that he was based in KwaZulu-Natal while Matlala and the contractor met in Pretoria.
“What I did was I advised him that he must do a risk assessment,” he said.
He also confirmed that he shared a letter from suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on the disbandment of a task team on political killings, which he said he had found on social media.
Sesona said the matters he discussed with Matlala were in the public domain and he was unaware of any interest the businessman might have had in the task team.
“I believe it is very strange that you would share the letter to Mr Matlala when he has no interest in this subject of the PKTT,” commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga posited.
“I do not agree commissioner because I was not aware he was the subject of investigation of the PKTT or any unit within the SAPS,” Sesona responded.
Madlanga said it was even stranger that Sesona would share the disbandment letter when he claimed not to know of any interest Matlala had in the task team.
Sesona said he had shared the letter randomly with Matlala to discuss current affairs.
He further testified that Matlala had informed him about a police raid at Cat Security Services.
“He did tell me there was this thing. And then the police came to do inspection of firearms and compliance. Then I said: ‘If they are doing the compliance, so what? Let them do their job,’” Sesona said.
He said he was not aware of a construction business between his son Thatho Sesona and Matlala, saying his son was a married adult running his own business and Matlala was, in fact, surprised that the two were related.
“In no way I have facilitated their business relationship. If it is alleged that I supported or facilitated the Pretoria property venture, it is only to the extent of assisting Mr Matlala get a hold of my son, as can be seen in the WhatsApp chats,” Sedona said.