Latest news with #VusumuziMatlala
News24
2 days ago
- News24
Tebogo Thobejane launches GBV foundation and reveals emotional struggle - ‘I'm not safe'
South Africans have endured a week of explosive headlines and shocking revelations. Leading the news is Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala, an alleged crime kingpin accused of trying to murder his ex-girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane. He's also alleged to have corrupt relationships with government officials. These allegations have rocked the entire nation. On Friday, July 11, 2025, Matlala and his co-accused appeared in the Alexandra Magistrate's Court to face more charges in his case that's been postponed to August. In a candid interview with Drum, Tebogo Thobejane revealed how the incident has devastated her mental health. Despite Matlala being behind bars, she admitted she still doesn't feel safe. Read more | Tebogo Thobejane pleas for privacy as ex-boyfriend's attempted murder bail hearing postponed In October 2023, Tebogo survived what she alleges was an assassination attempt by Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala. The attack occurred while she and a friend were driving on the N1 highway near Sandton, Johannesburg. Their car was riddled with bullets, leaving Thobejane shot in the foot and her friend with a serious spinal cord injury. Thobejane says she's not the same person she was before the incident. She can barely recognise her own emotions anymore and often feels numb. Without any support system in place, she's struggling to cope with the trauma alone. 'I don't know how I'm feeling honestly, and there's still no one supporting me, not even the government and what's annoying me at this point is that I've seen all these men protecting themselves but have no time to check in with us, the victims, as to how we're doing, and the sad part is that we can't even go into witness protection because the police are involved,' she said. She recently launched her Bothlale Foundation (meaning 'wisdom'), a foundation dedicated to helping GBV survivors and victims. Her inspiration for this work stems from her desire to support others who have endured similar experiences. 'I've had a hard life, and they've tried to silence me.' When asked about her case against ex-partner Vusi Matlala, she declined to share details, citing ongoing court proceedings. What she did make clear: she is proud of standing up for herself. 'I can't engage on that because of the ongoing court case, but all I can say is that I stood my ground and everyone saw that this guy is crazy,' she said. Read more | Wife of attempted murder accused Vusi Matlala released on R20,000 bail in Tebogo Thobejane case; husband remains in custody She believes that the day she and her friend were shot at has profoundly altered the course of her life. 'She was sitting next to me in the car when they shot my car, and the bullets went to her. That girl saved my life, and, sadly, hers got completely ruined.' Asked about her optimism in justice prevailing in her case, Tebogo sounded confident that the law will take its course and that she will get the justice she deserves with her case. However, she can't shake away the feeling that her case is being used as a pawn for what Lt-General Mkhwanazi exposed about her ex-partner and his affiliations with the SAPS officials. 'I know justice will prevail, but at the same time, there's a bigger picture here, and I think I'm being used as a mockery. I just feel like people are running a mockery, and it's deeper than me. He's in much bigger trouble, but my case is the one that got him arrested, and then they found out about everything else that's just been revealed, which I don't know anything about,' she says. Tebogo shared that due to the incident, her mental well-being isn't in a good place and that despite the perpetrator's incarceration, she still doesn't feel safe at all. 'My mental health isn't well, I'm not safe, the government is not protecting me, nobody cares about me, and every single day I pay for private security, but what gets me is that everybody, that is the cops, they're protected but not us,' she iterated. Read more | Murder-accused Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala found in possession of a cell phone during a prison raid Thobejane believes that there's more that SAPS could do to protect her. 'They say their protocols don't allow that, so I need to have private security. They're busy fighting amongst themselves, not concerned about the victims lingering in the background.' Thobejane says that all the misconceptions people have about her are not true. 'People say that I'm doing and selling drugs, and that I'm dodgy, which is not the case. We got shot at, and people need to focus on that,' she tells Drum. Tebogo concluded by sharing a message to people who are in abusive relationships, saying that her foundation (Bothlale Foundation) is a safe space they can go to, as it's all about empowering each other. 'Nothing's linear, as you can't tell someone what to and not to do, and this is why I started the foundation, it's a space people can run to without judgment.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tebogo Thobejane (@tebogocthobejane)
Mail & Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
He is a whistleblower, police committee chair says of Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has effectively become a whistleblower after his allegations of political interference in police work and links to organised crime, the head of parliament's police committee said on Tuesday. 'In this case, the way it was done, would certainly fit into whistleblower status,' Mkhwanazi Mchunu and Sibiya have both denied the allegations. The most well-known of those connected individuals is alleged crime syndicate kingpin Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala, who is in prison and facing charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering, for a failed hit in 2023 on actress Tebogo Thobejane, allegedly his former lover. But Matlala — the alleged funder of Mchunu's political ambitions — has also been linked to dirty tenders through several of his companies. He was flagged by assassinated whistleblower The lieutenant-general's claims have sparked furious debate among policing pundits, some of whom questioned the manner in which he made the allegations. He did this at a press briefing, dressed in his Special Task Force uniform and surrounded by armed members of the same elite unit that he was once the head of. Other policing experts have said that if Mkhwanazi had exhausted all internal channels with zero results, there was no other platform he could have used. 'I have got a lot of mixed feelings about it,' said Cameron during an interview with eNCA . 'I feel like I have got this constant debate in my mind, because I feel that due process and the rule of law are critical, but I also have to ask, if he just reported [the allegations] to his seniors, or to anyone else for that matter, would it have received the attention it deserves?' He also appeared to be defending seven — or at least some — of the high-ranking officers who were arrested for fraud and corruption in June and July in the police service's Crime Intelligence division. Among those arrested were divisional commissioner Lieutenant General The other arrested high ranking officers areMajor General Josias Lekalakala (Gauteng Crime Intelligence head),Major General Nosipho Madondo (head of the analysis centre), Major General Zwelithini Gabela (technology services), Brigadier Dineo Mokwele (technical systems) and Brigadier Phindile Ncube (head of vetting). All of the accused have said they intend to plead not guilty to the charges. The arrests relate to the officers allegedly conspiring to appoint 30-year-old civilian Mokwele to a senior post. Khumalo, Madondo, Lekalakala, Gabela, Ncube and Mokwele were granted R10 000 bail, while Lushaba was remanded in custody because of a pending case. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the matter has been postponed to 13 August for disclosure. Mkhwanazi appeared to question why the officers were arrested for what he claimed was a human resources matter, and why the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption was so eager to prosecute what was essentially an internal police matter. Several of those arrested are custodians of the Crime Intelligence Secret Services Account — a classified budget intended for covert operations and informant payments, best described as a loosely regulated slush fund. From that fund, buildings were purchased in Johannesburg and Durban, allegedly at inflated prices and without oversight, for 'covert operations'. The purchases — which would have been authorised by Lushaba and Khumalo — have since been made public. Masemola has come under scrutiny for his role in the matter, and the alleged cover-up of the purchases. Mkhwanazi implied that some of those who were arrested were being defamed in public because of the building purchases and couldn't speak out because of national security. Those who had colluded to arrest them also knew the officers would not speak out, because they could then face charges for breaching national security protocols, he said. But other allegations of impropriety have also been levelled against some of the officers, and Masemola. In 2023, Masemola — and other senior officers — were allegedly given cash and luxurious items, including Louis Vuitton bags, by a bidder for a bulletproof vest tender, while in Germany. The gifts were not declared. In 2022, Lushaba reported a burglary in which his official firearm, laptop and cellphone were stolen, allegedly while he was not at home, but neglected to report that the 'burglar' was a prostitute. This may be the pending case the NPA referred to, and why he was remanded in custody. It has also been alleged that other senior officers tried to cover up the role of the prostitute in the burglary, by searching for her to retrieve Lushaba's state items. According to private investigator and Forensics for Justice founder Paul O'Sullivan, the father of Mokwele — whose appointment led to the arrests of the Crime Intelligence senior officers — was arrested last year after trying to buy dockets in KwaZulu-Natal that were related to a political killing. Mokwele's father is a senior police officer. Cameron said Mkhwanazi was aware of the risks he had taken by speaking out, risks that could be physical or career related. He had admitted such during the Sunday briefing. 'In terms of what should be done, I think there is an integrity management crisis, broadly speaking, in the South African Police Service. I am really concerned about the total disarray that we have seen over the last few weeks,' Cameron said. 'We all knew that things were boiling up to a certain point. We know the national commissioner will soon retire — must soon retire. There are moves in terms of people wanting to become the new head of the Hawks, as well. And I think it's caused a lot of destabilising efforts, let's call it that for now, within the senior ranks of the South African Police.' Cameron said it was critical that an independent body was appointed to conduct lifestyle audits on 'the entire top structure [of the police] from brigadier upwards'. There also needed to be a relevant skills audit, he added, 'to make sure that whoever is there, apart from being beyond reproach, are actually skilled to do the job'.
News24
6 days ago
- News24
Mkhwanazi bombshells: Weapons cache found in MaMkhize's home linked to ‘Cat' Matlala
@carteblanchetv The cache of firearms seized from controversial businesswoman Shauwn 'MaMkhize' Mkhize 's mansion in November last year belonged to flamboyant entrepreneur Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala, the Portfolio Committee on Police has revealed.
News24
6 days ago
- Politics
- News24
Mzansi rallies behind KZN Police Commissioner, Lt-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
General Lt Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has won the hearts of many South Africans for his unwavering commitment to justice and unapologetic stance against corruption. As a senior police officer, he has earned nationwide respect for standing up for truth, fighting crime, and upholding police integrity. He has become a beacon of hope for many. His recent media briefing, where he exposed alleged wrongdoings and interference in police operations, has only added to his reputation as a fearless and principled leader. Read more | Wife of attempted murder accused Vusi Matlala released on R20,000 bail in Tebogo Thobejane case; husband remains in custody During the media briefing, Mkhwanazi made explosive corruption allegations against some of the country's most influential officials. To support his claims, he revealed that confiscated phones contain WhatsApp messages that allegedly show connections between a crime syndicate member, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, and an ally of the minister. Mkhwanazi specifically pointed to WhatsApp conversations between Brown Mogotsi (Mchunu's associate) and murder-accused Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala, who allegedly had a R360 million contract with the police. He claimed that after a raid on Matlala's home, Mogotsi allegedly contacted Mchunu to dissolve the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team. 'Further analysis of the chats indicates that Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala is financially supporting the Minister of Police and Mr Brown Mogotsi's political endeavors. This is supported by the evidence of conversations and proof of payments.' Read more | 8 Police officers, 3 civilians remain jailed in R900K theft case Mkhwanazi further stated that the National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, has instructed the Political Killings Task Team to persist in their investigation of political deaths, despite the transfer of certain dockets and the Minister's directive to cease such activities. Additionally, according to Mkhwanazi, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is being consulted with the evidence that has been acquired this far in order to consider potential charges of undermining the goals of justice against all accused individuals. Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya has since denied the allegations made by Mkhwanazi against him saying he has met only once with Mogotsi, the alleged associate Mkhwanazi ties him to. He says their meeting was only for him to inquire about some investigations. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has also responded saying Mkhwanazi's media briefing caught them off guard but they're aware of his allegations and he will 'apply his mind in good time.'
