Bheki Cele’s Explosive Testimony: A Deep Dive into the Parliamentary Hearing

Former Police Minister Bheki Cele.

By Mpho Dube, Editor‑in‑Chief, The Azanian

Former Police Minister Bheki Cele stepped into the parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee with a confession that rattled the chamber: he knows Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala “very well.”

The admission came as Cele recounted a December 2024 meeting at Durban’s Beverly Hills Hotel, arranged through Bongani “Mabonga” Mpungose, son of a prominent taxi‑industry figure.

According to Cele, Matlala—now facing charges of attempted murder, money‑laundering and corruption—approached him with a request to depose an affidavit against suspended Deputy National Commissioner of Crime Detection Shadrack Sibiya.

The affidavit was allegedly meant to implicate Dumisani Khumalo, then head of Crime Intelligence, in a scheme that could have derailed ongoing investigations.

Cele’s testimony painted a picture of deep‑seated entanglement between politicians, businessmen and organized crime.

He referenced a 2022 Western Cape High Court judgment by Judge Daniel Thulare, which warned that the 28s gang had “penetrated” senior SAPS management, giving the syndicate leverage over investigations and prosecutions. “The evidence suggests not only a capture of lower‑ranking officers… senior management has been penetrated,” Cele quoted from the ruling, underscoring the gravity of police capture allegations.

Defending his own conduct, Cele pointed to his role in safeguarding the 2010 Soccer World Cup. “To be honest, the nation does not know SAPS saved the World Cup,” he said, framing his past actions as a service‑oriented effort to keep crime from hijacking the tournament.

The hearing also highlighted a tangled web of accusations: Matlala’s alleged involvement in a drug‑trafficking cartel known as the Big Five, his purported funding of political ambitions, and the broader claim that a criminal network has infiltrated law‑enforcement structures.

MPs pressed Cele on why he engaged with Matlala despite the latter’s dubious reputation, and whether his testimony signals a deeper political‑crime nexus.

As the Ad Hoc Committee continues its probe, Cele’s candid—if controversial—account promises to shape the next phase of the inquiry, with potential fallout for both the former minister and the senior police officials implicated.