Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale allegedly pressured police to track down a blogger Musa Khawula over alleged insults directed at ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula and businessman Ze Nxumalo. 

This was revealed by Witness F during his testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday in Pretoria.

The witness testified that he received a warrant of arrest for Khawula, who allegedly contravened the Cyber Crime Act by insulting Mbalula and Nxumalo.

Khawula had posted on X alleging Mbalula’s wife, Nozulo, and Michelle Perrow were involved in a R150 million fraud scandal. 

He also accused alleged crime mastermind Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, his wife Cordelia, and their security company, CAT VIP Protection Services, of criminal activity and gang links.

Witness F told the commission that after receiving the warrant, suspended Deputy SAPS Commissioner General Shadrack Sibiya instructed him to share it with Matlala.

He testified that Sibiya mentioned that Matlala’s private security company could assist with the arrest, implying Khawula could be found through them, as Khawula often went where Matlala or the security operated. 

“I didn’t see anything with it because sometimes SAPS works with private security,” he said.

Sibiya allegedly told Witness F that the matter was important, citing that he was getting pressure from Mathale’s office, and mentioned Khawula allegedly insulted Mbalula and someone named Ze. 

Witness F said he didn’t know Ze’s surname but knew him as a businessman;  evidence leader Advocate Matthew Chaskalson suggested it was Nxumalo. 

Mathale had denied any involvement in the arrest of Khawula, saying: “I have never had any such discussion with General Sibiya for the arrest of Musa Khawula or any other person. I am also not aware of anyone who would have given such pressure from my office.”

The commission was told that before Khawula’s warrant of arrest, Sibiya hosted a private “thanksgiving” ceremony at his home, where he had invited Matlala.

The function came just nine months after Matlala had approached Sibiya at his workplace, seeking intervention in a cancelled R360 million SAPS contract with his company, Medicare24 Tshwane.

Witness F testified that his role as a middleman between Sibiya and Matlala may have begun around December 2023, when Sibiya summoned him to his office. 

He recounted that Sibiya instructed him to fetch Matlala, who was waiting downstairs. Matlala allegedly told Witness F he was there to discuss a SAPS tender he had won, but was experiencing issues with it.

According to Witness F, Sibiya told him that due to his busy schedule, he would often have his phone off, and proposed that Matlala communicate with him (Sibiya) through Witness F instead. 

“I personally didn’t see any problem with that,” he said, adding that at that time, he deemed Matlala to be a legitimate business person who had won a tender with the SAPS. 

He testified that he was not part of the meeting between Matlala and Sibiya; he left them alone in the office after fetching Matlala. 

Co-commissioner Advocate Sandile Khumalo SC said it was not probable that Matlala would have gone to see Sibiya in December 2023 because the tender in question was only awarded in 2024.

He testified that Organised Crime head Major-General Richard Shibiri, who has been accused of attempting to interfere in the murder case of a Vereeniging engineer on April 17, 2024, also attended Sibiya’s thanksgiving ceremony in September 2024.

At the ceremony, Sibiya instructed Witness F to ask Matlala to swing by his house, which he did.

Upon Matlala’s arrival, Witness F sent Shibiri a text, informing him that Matlala had come through.

When asked why he alerted Shibiri about Matlala’s arrival, he said: “Shibiri is someone I communicate with more often.”

Three days after the function, Shibiri sent Witness F a document detailing Matlala’s alleged links to Babita Deokaran’s death, the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend Tebogo Thobejane, and connections to Vusi “Khekhe” Mathibela’s Boko Haram group, infamous for extorting Mamelodi residents.

Shibiri also texted Witness F that he had asked Khawula to stop writing stories about Matlala. 

During testimony, Witness F revealed that despite initial plans to use Matlala’s security company to assist with the arrest, the Hawks’ Captain Fanele Zungu and a tracking team were involved in the operation. 

Chaskalson questioned the necessity of involving the Hawks and a tracking team for an alleged insult, asking what risk Khawula posed to warrant such a response.

Witness F testified that he had previously raised concerns that he lacked the manpower, leading him to assume that his senior sent a tracking team to assist with Khawula’s arrest.

The commission is set to reconvene on Thursday with a new witness, and Witness F is scheduled to return on Friday.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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