Alleged cartel leader Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala has told the Madlanga Commission that former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss Lesetja Senona lent him R20,000 following a police raid on his Pretoria property in 2024.
Matlala said officers had seized his mobile phones during the operation, leaving him unable to carry out transactions. He described Senona as an “older brother” while explaining the nature of their relationship.
Matlala said his relationship with Senona developed over several years after their first meeting at the former Hawks boss’s wedding in Soshanguve in 2019.
He said the pair became closer in 2021 when they attended a funeral connected to late taxi boss Jotham “King Mswazi” Msibi. It was at that funeral, Matlala told the commission, that he learned Senona was a general.
Cat Matlala Details R20,000 Loan From Former Hawks Boss
Matlala told the commission that he approached Senona after the 2024 police raid and asked him to investigate what had happened.
The Cat Matlala testimony revealed that the seizure of his phones affected his ability to conduct financial transactions. He said this situation led him to ask Senona for financial assistance.
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“I even borrowed money from him. Yes, yes. I remember that day he gave me R20,000,” Matlala said.
The payment forms part of Matlala’s evidence about his dealings with Senona. The former Hawks boss resigned from the organisation in June.
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Matlala’s evidence has provided the Madlanga Commission with further details about his relationship with Senona. He described the former senior police officer as an “older brother” and recounted how their association developed from their first meeting in 2019. Their relationship later became closer after the 2021 funeral linked to Msibi.
Matlala said the 2024 police raid was a significant moment in his dealings with Senona. After the seizure of his phones, he met Senona in Pretoria and sought his assistance in understanding the circumstances surrounding the raid.
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The R20,000 payment has become part of the evidence concerning the relationship between Lesetja Senona and Cat Matlala. Matlala’s testimony has brought both the personal and financial aspects of their association before the commission. Senona left the Hawks in June.
The commission is examining evidence surrounding alleged criminal networks and their links to individuals within law-enforcement structures. Matlala’s testimony forms part of the broader evidence being heard during the inquiry.
