How Rachel Matjeng's relationship with 'Cat' Matlala’s led to SAPS fallout

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has dismissed Brigadier Rachel Matjeng, bringing an end to the career of a senior officer whose relationship with alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala became one of the most controversial revelations to emerge from the country's biggest police corruption investigation.

Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane confirmed on Wednesday that Matjeng's dismissal took effect on June 30, 2026, after she was found guilty in an internal disciplinary process of accepting gratification, money laundering, dishonesty and improperly assisting Matlala.

"The outcome sends a clear message that corruption, criminality and any form of collusion with criminals have no place within the South African Police Service," Dimpane said.

Matjeng was convicted on five disciplinary charges: accepting gratification; money laundering; improper conduct by advising Matlala against the interests of SAPS; conduct prejudicial to the administration of SAPS by providing Matlala with confidential details of police members for financial gain; and dishonesty.

Before her suspension, Matjeng served as a brigadier and headed Quality Management: Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management within SAPS' Forensic Services Division in Pretoria.

Her position placed her in a key oversight role over a R360 million health risk management contract awarded in June 2024 to Medicare24 Tshwane District, a company linked to Matlala.

The contract, which was intended to provide medical and wellness services to SAPS members at the Pretoria police college, was later cancelled after allegations of corruption surfaced. It has since become the focus of both criminal and internal investigations involving several senior police officials.

Matjeng first came under the national spotlight in February 2026 when she appeared before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

During her testimony, she acknowledged that she and Matlala had been involved in an intermittent romantic relationship since 2017, describing him as "humble, respectful and romantic". She insisted she had only recently become aware of his alleged criminal activities.

She told the commission that Matlala had bought her expensive gifts, including the weight-loss medication Ozempic, valued at about R4,500 per unit, and had regularly transferred money to her. According to Matjeng, these were simply gifts exchanged during their relationship and were not linked to any official influence.

However, commissioners questioned payments amounting to about R300,000 made over several months.

Matjeng maintained that she had not personally benefited from the money, explaining that the payments had been channelled through the account of Osizweni Meat Market, a butchery in Tembisa owned by her friend Modiegi Kekana.

She claimed one R100,000 payment was intended to help replace a vehicle destroyed by fire in 2023, while another dispute involved money allegedly owed by Matlala to the butchery for meat supplied to community funeral events.

Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga was unconvinced.

He suggested the far more likely explanation was that the payments constituted gratification disguised as gifts and routed through a third party to conceal their true purpose.

Beyond the financial transactions, the commission heard evidence that Matjeng provided Matlala with internal SAPS information, including details of more than 300 police officers who had failed to undergo medical examinations.

According to evidence before the commission, the information could have assisted Matlala's company in claiming payment for services that had not been rendered.

Matjeng argued that she had shared the information to prevent fraudulent claims and protect SAPS from irregular expenditure.

The disciplinary panel rejected that explanation, ultimately finding her guilty of providing confidential SAPS information with the intention of securing a financial benefit.

During her testimony, Matjeng also defended the authenticity of her relationship with Matlala, pointing to WhatsApp messages extracted from his cellphone after commission evidence leaders questioned aspects of her account.

The disciplinary outcome follows recommendations contained in the Madlanga Commission's interim report to President Cyril Ramaphosa, which identified Matjeng as one of several senior SAPS officials against whom there was prima facie evidence of corruption.

Those recommendations led to a major operation by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).

On March 24, 2026, Matjeng was arrested alongside 11 other senior police officers in connection with the R360 million SAPS tender.

She appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate's Court with General Busi Temba, Brigadier Ofentse Tlhoaele, Brigadier Kistey Jonker, Brigadier Thembinkosi Ngema and several other accused.

The group faces charges including fraud, money laundering, tender manipulation and contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act.

That criminal case remains before the courts and is separate from the disciplinary proceedings that have now ended Matjeng's SAPS career.

Court proceedings also revealed that Matlala allegedly admitted making secret payments totalling about R300,000 through another of his companies, Luxo Africa Brand Investments. The money was allegedly routed through Osizweni Meat Hyper before reaching Kekana's personal account, a transaction prosecutors say corroborates the money trail examined by the commission.

Matjeng's dismissal forms part of a much broader investigation into alleged organised crime infiltration within SAPS.

Matlala, a businessman from Mamelodi with previous criminal convictions, has been identified by SAPS Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo as an alleged member of the Gauteng-based organised crime syndicate known as the "Big Five", which police have linked to drug trafficking, vehicle hijackings, tender fraud and contract killings.

He is also facing attempted murder charges and remains in custody after being denied bail.

The Madlanga Commission, formally known as the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, was established in July 2025 following explosive allegations by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that organised crime had infiltrated senior levels of policing and government.

Its proceedings have implicated several senior figures, including former deputy national commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, who was dismissed after allegations that he received up to R1 million a month from Matlala and accepted lavish gifts, including impalas and cosmetic surgery for a colleague.

Former Major-General Richard Shiburi was also dismissed over allegations involving a loan from Matlala, while KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major-General Lesetja Senona has been implicated in evidence before the commission. Former police minister Bheki Cele also acknowledged meeting Matlala shortly before the controversial tender was cancelled.

In June, nine additional SAPS officials who served on the tender bid evaluation committee were suspended.

Although Matjeng has now been dismissed from SAPS, her legal troubles are far from over.

She remains one of 16 accused in the ongoing criminal prosecution linked to the R360 million SAPS health services tender, where she faces charges of fraud, money laundering, tender manipulation and violations of the Public Finance Management Act.

SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed Matjeng's dismissal on Wednesday.

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