MADLANGA COMMISSION: Matlala turns tables on Idac investigator Perumal in explosive testimony

The timing could hardly be more striking. Suspended Investigative Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) chief investigator Dylan Perumal was reportedly taken to hospital in East London on Friday, 6 November, following an alleged suicide attempt.

Three days later, on Monday, 9 November, organised crime accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala appeared before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where he made startling allegations about the very investigator at the centre of his case.

For the first time, Matlala revealed to the Madlanga Commission the contents and circumstances surrounding his controversial Section 204 statement – an arrangement under which an accused person may obtain indemnity from prosecution in exchange for giving evidence, subject to the statutory requirements.

It was during his testimony on Monday, 9 November, that Matlala dropped a bombshell when he alleged that Perumal and senior investigator Brian Padayachee had pressured him into signing a plea-and-sentence agreement.

Matlala’s 204 statement was examined after commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga dismissed an application filed by his defence counsel, advocate Annelene van den Heever, to block the use of this witness statement.

Suneel Bellochun, a senior investigator at Idac, commissioned the statement on 14 June 2026.

“I did not take an oath, and the statement prepared by Perumal was changed between three to four times. He typed whatever suited him,” Matlala told the commission.

This affidavit sets out Matlala’s personal knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the Medicare24 SAPS contract. He deposed it with the intention of cooperating with the State and supporting the conclusion of a plea-and-sentence agreement in terms of Section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act. 

The allegations strike at the heart of the Idac investigation. They raise questions about whether Matlala was being encouraged to implicate senior police officials and whether the pursuit of evidence against those figures is jeopardising the integrity of the investigation itself.

Matlala alleged that investigators wanted him to provide incriminating information against senior police figures, including National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Dumisani Khumalo. He further alleged that Perumal had typed a Section 204 statement containing information that did not originate from him.

Previously, the commission had heard of “Project Diversion”, an alleged controversial investigation led by former Idac head Andrea Johnson, that targeted Masemola and Khumalo.

Following damning and damaging allegations before the commission, the three Idac officials were suspended on 30 July 2026 by Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.

The Sibiya money trail: Matlala’s changing account of alleged payments

One of the most contentious aspects of Matlala’s Section 204 statement, the commission heard, concerns his alleged financial relationship with former senior police officer Shadrack Sibiya, who is facing allegations of sexually grooming a child and a separate rape case.

Sibiya resigned on 12 October 2026 while facing disciplinary proceedings and remains in custody pending the outcome of his bail application.

But Matlala dropped another bombshell before the commission, alleging that he had been coerced into lying about Sibiya when he testified before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee.

He claimed that Sibiya repeatedly warned his wife that Matlala should not reveal anything about him to the parliamentary committee. According to Matlala, the threats extended to his life and the safety of his family should he disclose the truth.

These allegations add another dimension to the relationship between the two men: not only the alleged flow of money, but also claims of intimidation and pressure to conceal their dealings.

Matlala’s statement details alleged cash payments to Sibiya, but his testimony before the commission exposed discrepancies in how two transactions were recorded and explained.

In his Section 204 statement, Matlala described arriving at Sibiya’s Centurion residence, where security guards directed him to park inside the premises. He claimed he handed Sibiya R50,000 in cash, which Sibiya allegedly placed in his vehicle.

However, Matlala disputed this version before the commission, insisting that the R50,000 payment took place during the SAPS Excellence Awards in KwaZulu-Natal, not at Sibiya’s residence.

A more substantial discrepancy concerns an alleged R500,000 payment following the awarding of the Medicare24 contract.

According to the Section 204 statement, Sibiya contacted Matlala and requested a meeting at his Centurion residence, allegedly asking him to bring cash because considerable effort had gone into securing the tender.

Matlala stated that he did not have the money in cash and instead transferred R500,000 from his company account into his business account at Koffi Trading before arranging for the money to be transferred to a company belonging to his friend, Given Makofane.

But before the commission on Monday, Matlala disputed paragraph 49 of his statement, saying he had not complied with Sibiya’s alleged request for cash. Instead, he maintained that he transferred the R500,000 to Makofane, not Sibiya.

During Witness C’s testimony, it emerged that at an informal meeting with Matlala on 14 May 2025, the businessman had allegedly described Sibiya as “a criminal who loves money”, claiming that the former police officer accepted only cash payments, not electronic transfers.

Matlala also allegedly described making cash drop-offs at Sibiya’s residence. To substantiate his claims of corrupt dealings, he provided Witness C with Sibiya’s telephone numbers, first in December 2024 and again after his arrest in May 2025.

‘Caught lying’: Matlala confronted over alleged R500,000 payment to Sibiya 

Evidence leader advocate Adila Hassim SC repeatedly challenged Matlala over what she suggested were contradictions between his sworn testimony and the account he had previously given to commission investigators.

Hassim reminded Matlala that he had testified that he made no payments to Sibiya, apart from the R50,000 he had acknowledged. However, notes taken by commission investigator Dlamini during an interview with Matlala, in the presence of evidence leaders and his legal representative, appeared to contradict this version.

According to Dlamini’s notes, Matlala had indicated that Sibiya assisted him in securing the Medicare24 tender. The discussion allegedly took place before July 2024, before the tender award letter was issued to Matlala’s company.

The notes further record that, after the tender was awarded, Matlala withdrew R500,000 from his two companies, Medicare24 and Lux Africa Brand, despite not yet having received payment. He allegedly borrowed the money and took it to Sibiya’s estate at Copperleaf Golf Estate, where he handed it to the senior police officer.

This account raises a central question: if Matlala had previously told investigators that he personally delivered R500,000 to Sibiya, why did he tell the commission that the money had instead been transferred to Given Makofane?

His testimony will continue on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. DM