Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, a central figure in a major ongoing police graft inquiry in South Africa, has pleaded guilty to corruption, fraud and money-laundering charges as part of a deal with state prosecutors.
He was accused of bribing top police officials to win a 360m rand ($22m; £16.5m) tender for his health company Medicare24 in 2024.
The plea deal, which has not yet been accepted by the magistrate, would result in Matlala giving evidence against “high-ranking officials”, state advocate Santhos Manilall said.
Police chief Gen Fannie Masemola is one of those facing charges in relation to this case. He has denied the charges.
Manilall told the court in the capital, Pretoria, that it had taken almost two months of negotiations to put the deal together.
If accepted, it would result in Matlala, 49, serving eight years in prison.
The state’s lawyer said that the “sacrifice” of a more lenient sentence would be worth it, as “for the first time we have an accused who has… given us detail that we would not have been made aware of”.
As part of the deal, Matlala is required to give honest and frank testimony at future trials.
But in a blistering attack, the Democratic Alliance (DA), the junior partner in South Africa’s governing coalition, called the arrangement a “sweetheart deal” and “a betrayal of accountability” that may not result in a successful prosecution.
Credit: bbc.com
