Cat Matlala testimony is due at the Madlanga commission on Monday, 9 November 2026 and Tuesday, 10 November 2026, with the alleged crime boss expected to take the stand from 09:30 on Monday.
According to TimesLIVE, the commission, which is investigating criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system, resumes its public hearings with Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said he is expected to testify from 09:30 on Monday and continue on Tuesday. Other witnesses have been heard in camera since Monday, 5 October 2026.
Cat Matlala testimony: Who he is and what he faces
Matlala, a Pretoria businessman who owns security and health services companies, remains in custody and faces several criminal charges. He and four co-accused are accused in the Johannesburg High Court of orchestrating three failed assassination attempts on his former girlfriend Tebogo Thobejane, businessman Joe Sibanyoni and music producer Seunkie Mokubung. None of the allegations has been tested to a verdict.
His company Medicare24 is linked to a South African Police Service (SAPS) health and wellness tender that is a central thread of the inquiry. A plea deal Matlala reached with the State collapsed in July 2026, and the commission has said the plea negotiations have no bearing on its work.
Before the hearing, the commission directed its evidence leaders and Matlala’s legal team to file written arguments by 17:00 on Sunday, 8 November 2026 on the implications of Section 105A(10) of the Criminal Procedure Act, which governs plea and sentence agreements. His attempted murder trial was postponed to Thursday, 12 November 2026.
What Matlala has told the commission so far
Matlala first took the stand on Monday, 17 August 2026 and was part-heard after his fourth day of evidence on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, when questions turned to Major-General Lesetja Senona, until June the KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head. Matlala said they met around 2018 or 2019 at a wedding and described the relationship:
not friends but he’s my older brother
Matlala declined to answer questions about a joint property venture with Senona and the general’s son, Thato, saying their dealings were themselves under investigation for corruption. Senona denies wrongdoing and has given his own evidence. On Monday, 17 August 2026, Matlala told the commission he had never met suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu.
What follows Cat Matlala testimony at the commission
Over the coming weeks the commission will hear subpoenaed witnesses including suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and crime intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo. Mkhwanazi’s allegations in July 2025 of criminal syndicates infiltrating policing led President Cyril Ramaphosa to establish the commission.
The commission aims to conclude Phase Two of its inquiry in November 2026 before moving on to Phase Three, in which Mkhwanazi is due to return to the witness stand, and its final report is due to President Cyril Ramaphosa by Monday, 25 January 2027.
Sources
- TimesLIVE, 'Cat' Matlala due to take the stand at Madlanga commission (9 November 2026)
- eNCA, 'Cat' Matlala to testify before Madlanga Commission on Monday and Tuesday (7 November 2026)
- The Citizen, Cat Matlala to testify under subpoena at Madlanga Commission this week
- SABC News, 'Cat' Matlala to resume testimony at Madlanga Commission on Monday
- EWN, 'Cat' Matlala's Madlanga Commission testimony postponed to September (15 July 2026)
- Sunday World, Matlala says he never met Senzo Mchunu as Madlanga probes police tender links
- Madlanga Commission hearing archive, Day 167 (26 August 2026)
