Alleged kingpin Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala told the Madlanga Commission that he had been pressured to sign the eight-year plea deal which was subsequently rejected by the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
He pointed to Independent Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) chief investigator Dylan Perumal and senior investigator Brian Padayachee as the people who had threatened him into taking the 12-year deal recommended by the court.
Perumal reportedly attempted suicide on Friday before Matlala’s testimony on Monday. According to reports, Perumal was taken to hospital in East London and put on life support.
Matlala said three Idac investigators had visited him during a consultation transfer from Kokstad to C-max in June 2026. He said Perumal, along with two others, had visited him and served a warrant on him.
Matlala’s lawyer, advocate Annelene van den Heever, said Padayachee and Perumal had approached Matlala for evidence in the Medicare24 corruption investigations which charged National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo with corruption.
Matlala had agreed to provide evidence in exchange for an eight-year plea deal. She said Idac prosecutors Santhos Manilal and Suneel Bellochun had also been part of the agreement.
“The following morning, when they brought me to court, they told me on my way to court: ‘Listen, we are not actually after you. However, we need to arrest you to get to the people that we want to pursue’,” Matlala said.
He told the commission he had been coerced to agree to provide false evidence in the failed plea deal with the National Prosecuting Authority.
He said Idac investigators had booked him in and out of prison frequently to threaten him into taking a plea deal and to solicit information about Masemola, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Khumalo.
He accused Perumal and Padayachee of chasing after him to give incriminating evidence on the three generals.
He said they had mentioned Masemola, Mkhwanazi and Khumalo. Padayachee had been in the driving seat when they headed to the Sheraton Hotel.
The meeting was at 2am and they had driven to McDonald's near the C-Max. He said Perumal and his group had wanted information to take out the three generals.
“They said: ‘Listen, is there anything you can give us on these generals?; I said: ‘No, I don't have information about that.’ They said: ‘No, we know you are very close to [former Hawks] General [Lesetja] Senona. Call him and ask him if he can give you any information,’” Matlala said.
He said some of the evidence in the section 204 statement taken by Perumal had not come from him.
“When I was giving the statement, Perumal himself was the one who was typing the statement. He typed whatever suited him,” Matlala said.
“So I've been threatened with charges and I've been promised that if I don't sign this thing, immediately after I've been sentenced I'll be sent to somewhere private and they'll take me to court for other charges.”