PRETORIA – Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has issued a formal statement vehemently denying any association with controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and clarifying his relationship with political comrade Brown Mogotsi. The statement, released via the Minister’s official social media account on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, is a direct response to the explosive allegations of corruption and interference made by KwaZulu-Natal’s top cop, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
In the statement, Minister Mchunu addresses the crisis head-on, seeking to sever the links that Mkhwanazi alleged had compromised his office.
“In response to the recent allegations made by Provincial Commissioner Mkhwanazi, and while respecting the President’s call for calm, the Minister of Police, Mr. Senzo Mchunu feels it is important to clarify the following,” the statement reads. “The Minister has never met Mr. Matlala, has never spoken to him, nor has the Minister ever requested or received anything from him.”
This categorical denial forms the crux of Mchunu’s defense against Mkhwanazi’s claims that he shielded Matlala from a police investigation. Mkhwanazi had alleged that the minister’s connection to the businessman influenced his decision to disband a task team that was investigating Matlala for serious crimes, including attempted murder.
The Minister’s statement also sought to add context to his actions regarding a controversial SAPS tender awarded to Matlala’s company, which Mkhwanazi had flagged as a point of contention.
“The Minister did however, initiate a review of the SAPS tender awarded to him when suspicions of possible wrongdoing surfaced,” the statement clarifies. “It was the same tender which has since been terminated.”
Furthermore, Mchunu addressed his connection to Brown Mogotsi, the man Mkhwanazi identified as the intermediary between the minister’s office and Matlala.
“Whilst the Minister knows and has met Mr. Brown Mogotsi, he is just a comrade and not an associate of the Minister. The Minister has never requested or received anything from him.”
This official communication represents the Minister’s most direct and forceful attempt to reclaim the narrative in a scandal that has pitted him against his own provincial commissioner and shaken public trust in the South African Police Service. The statement’s careful wording aims to dismantle Mkhwanazi’s allegations piece by piece, but it has not silenced calls from opposition parties and civil society for an independent inquiry to establish the full truth.