By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Tensions flared at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, as key witness Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala faced intense cross-examination regarding his complex financial partnership with controversial businessman Hangwani Morgan Maumela.
Following a brief standoff over self-incrimination claims, Matlala has drawn the first direct link between the Big 5 cartel leader Jotham Msibi and Maumela, saying he introduced Maumela to Msibi.
He testified about Maumela wanting to sell a Pagani Huayra, a multi-million rand sports car, and how Msibi needed to organise a buyer.
The commission revealed WhatsApp messages showing Matlala’s intention to buy a private jet with Msibi.
It also scrutinised Matlala’s banking records showing multi-million rand proof of payments and a separate quest for a R20 million loan from Steve Mutsumi to rescue his SAPS Medicare 24 contract.
Matlala, who claimed his initial bond with Maumela began over a shared passion for luxury sports cars around 2015, struggled to recall specific transactions, maintaining that he merely acted as a conduit for certain payment notifications.
He told the commission that he and Maumela initially invested about R1 million each in a business venture to secure medical supply contracts from the Gauteng Department of Health.
This comes after Matlala refused to respond to questions about his relationship with Maumela in fear of self-incrimination.
However, evidence leader Mahlape Sello said, Matlala was not a suspect in the Tembisa Hospital procurement scandal and therefore could not claim privilege.
Matlala and Maumela established a company through which they responded to requests for quotations (RFQs) for government contracts and shared the profits.
“We opened a neutral company and had money in the bank for that specific business. We pooled funds together and from those funds, if we got a contract, each one would take money for that purpose.”
Matlala said the pair received their first RFQ from the Gauteng Department of Health in 2018 and that the business generated about R5m over the next five years.
He said they would approach suppliers of medical consumables and provide them with money upfront to secure stock.
“If you are a supplier and we need to buy stock from your company, we would put money into your company, take stock and you would tell us how much is left and we would keep on adding money into that contract.”
Matlala said he and Maumela would each receive 10% from the profits generated from the supplier deals.
“He contributed money because there is money that we put in the main supplier account. And we agreed that whoever gets RFQs first, we can take money from there but he’d have to give me 10% of the profit,” said Matlala.
Maumela has been implicated in a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation into three alleged syndicates linked to the looting of about R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital.
His syndicate is reported to have benefited by more than R800 million.
Several of Maumela’s assets, valued at about R520 million, including a Sandton mansion, jewellery and luxury vehicles, have since been seized after the Special Tribunal granted a preservation order.