Love, Luxury and Woolies Bags Full of Cash: Inside the ‘Cat’ Matlala Scandal Rocking Parliament

South Africa has no shortage of political drama, but every now and then a story arrives that blends money, influence, romance, and a Woolies shopping bag and then the whole country leans in.

That’s exactly what happened this week as businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala took the hot seat before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee. What began as a hearing into allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi quickly unravelled into a swirl of untested but explosive claims: fronting in business, drug-dealing friends, cash withdrawals worth hundreds of thousands, and a love story involving a Mamelodi Sundowns defender.

It’s the kind of saga that feels straight out of a Netflix script, except it’s unfolding in Pretoria and Durban, not Los Angeles.

@iolnewsThe name of Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana defender Grant Kekana, who was romantically linked to Claudette Masethe, the sister of Cat Matlala, has been brought up at the Ad Hoc Committee during the alleged cartel leader’s appearance.♬ original sound – IOL NEWS

A Woolies Bag, R300,000 in Cash, and a Former Police Minister

The committee’s jaws dropped when Matlala admitted that although he resigned as a director of Medicare24 Tshwane District in December 2024, he still owned the company outright. His sister, Claudette Masethe, became the only listed director, a move he openly conceded was “fronting.”

But the revelations didn’t stop there.

Matlala testified that he instructed his sister to withdraw R300,000 in cash from an FNB branch in Menlyn, cash he says was later handed to former police minister Bheki Cele inside a Woolworths shopping bag.

According to his account:

• Cele had asked for R1 million,

• Matlala could only “manage” half,

• And his sister allegedly delivered the money, twice, R300,000 in Pretoria and R200,000 in Durban.

Cele, in his own appearance before the committee, confirmed living in Matlala’s apartment rent-free but denied taking a cent from him. The SAPS contract at the centre of the storm, worth R360 million was cancelled earlier this year after being flagged as irregular.

It is a soap opera-level twist to an already messy corruption inquiry.

The name of Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana defender Grant Kekana, who was romantically linked to Claudette Masethe, the sister of Cat Matlala, has been brought up at the Ad Hoc Committee during the alleged cartel leader’s appearance. pic.twitter.com/CgsRAoNmbG

IOL News (@IOL) November 27, 2025

Enter: The Footballer Love Story No One Saw Coming

If the allegations weren’t wild enough, MPs then veered into unexpected territory: romance.

Matlala’s sister Claudette, he confirmed, previously dated Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana defender Grant Kekana.

In true Mzansi style, social media detectives wasted no time digging up pictures the couple in Paris, matching selfies at luxury spots, holiday snaps dripping with soft-life aesthetics.

Masethe, now the director on paper of Medicare24 Tshwane, once travelled the world with a star footballer. And suddenly that private relationship was being dissected in Parliament.

MK Party MP Thulani Shongwe asked Matlala about the breakup; Matlala shrugged, saying the pair had long since parted ways and he didn’t know why.

He also stressed that despite Kekana being the son of deputy minister Pinky Kekana, he’d never met her or done business with her.

“Wait – Grant Kekana’s Mom Is a Politician?” The Internet Explodes

As expected, social media erupted in pure South African fashion a mix of memes, disbelief, and political analysis wrapped in humour.

One TikTok user, Sibongile Mhaga, posted:

“Wait!! Grant Kekana’s mom is also into politics 🤔!! Wait wait!!”

On X, others questioned the relevance of Parliament probing a romantic breakup:
@sydneythobejane wrote:

“Come on guys, in a commission a member asks who was wrong when two people break up. Was that really necessary?”

The public reaction reveals what South Africans have long felt: corruption hearings often morph into public theatre, where personal lives get dragged into political mud.

The Bigger Picture: A R360 Million Contract and a Country Tired of Fronting

While the love-life twist grabbed attention, the heart of the matter remains the R360 million SAPS health services tender a contract so irregular that it was scrapped entirely.

And Matlala’s admission of fronting isn’t just a bureaucratic detail it exposes how easily business structures can be manipulated to hide ownership, dodge accountability, or channel public money into private pockets.

For communities waiting for actual service delivery, these hearings feel like déjà vu. Another tender. Another scandal. Another big number thrown around while ordinary citizens stand in queues at understaffed clinics.

Mzansi Watches, Parliament Presses On

As the committee continues its work, none of the allegations have been tested or proven, but the public has already formed opinions.

It’s the perfect storm of:

• political influence,

• luxury lifestyles,

• “friendships” with ministers,

• cash withdrawals that don’t add up,

• and a famous footballer pulled into the crossfire.

South Africa has seen corruption scandals before, but this one feels different, messy, personal, and dripping with the kind of details that make headlines write themselves.

One thing is certain: this saga is far from over, and Mzansi is watching every minute.

{Source: IOL}

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