KZN Hawks head, Maj-Gen. Lesetja Senona said the murder of whistleblower, Babita Deokaran, caught his attention, but he was never aware that Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala trended in relation to Tembisa Hospital looting.

Testifying on Wednesday, Senona said he heard about Deokaran’s murder on the radio, but insisted he did not know who she had exposed or that her killing was connected to allegations involving Matlala.

He further claimed he was unaware that Matlala had trended nationally in connection with large-scale corruption at the Gauteng hospital, despite knowing him for more than five years.

“Matlala never came to my attention, and the issue that his company was linked to this exposure by a whistleblower who was murdered, may her soul rest in peace, I did not know that,” Senona told the commission.

His evidence immediately drew criticism from the panel, with Adv. Adila Hassim, co-commissioner Sesi Baloyi and co-commissioner Adv. Sandile Khumalo all indicating that his explanation was implausible given the scale of public outrage surrounding the case.

Matlala has been accused of fraudulently securing government tenders, operating as part of a cartel, and orchestrating an attempt on the life of his former partner, socialite Tebogo Thobejane.

The allegations, including his alleged role in the Tembisa Hospital corruption scandal, dominated headlines and social media, becoming a symbol of systemic failure in law enforcement and procurement oversight.

Deokaran was assassinated outside her home after exposing suspicious, inflated and irregular Tembisa Hospital contracts. 

Hassim accused Senona of sidestepping direct questions and reminded him that the matter had “gripped the country”.

Senona responded that he was unaware of the allegations because he did not monitor the media.

“I did not know Matlala was accused of corruption. I was not monitoring the media,” he said, adding that he had never come across the newspaper articles detailing the claims.

Baloyi challenged that explanation, telling Senona that one did not need to actively follow media coverage to be aware of Matlala’s notoriety.

“You don’t have to monitor the media to know about Matlala,” she said.

Visibly frustrated, Senona replied: “I believe I have responded to this question. It’s coming again in a different way.”

Khumalo then pressed Senona on whether it was not a serious red flag for the provincial head of the Hawks to maintain friendships with individuals later accused of serious crimes.

“Commissioners, if you don’t know anything, there’s no red flag about it unless you were aware of it,” Senona said. “No one goes around profiling their friends.”

The proceedings are still underway.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

IOL Politics

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