4 October 2026 · Reporting checked against the current sources listed below.
A joint South African Police Service forensic investigation has recommended criminal prosecution of former police minister Bheki Cele over alleged benefits connected to businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, according to a report disclosed in court papers and reported by the Sunday Times on 4 October 2026.
The report alleges that Cele received unlawful “gratification” and private benefits, including stays at a luxury Pretoria penthouse and cash. Investigators examined bank records from Matlala-linked companies and reported a pattern of large cash withdrawals around meetings involving Matlala and Cele. These are allegations contained in an investigative report; they are not findings of guilt by a court.
Cele has denied receiving money from Matlala. He has acknowledged staying at accommodation linked to Matlala but has disputed that this amounted to wrongdoing, and has challenged claims that he used political influence over the businessman’s SAPS contract after leaving office.
The forensic report concerns the R360-million Medicare24 health-risk management contract awarded by SAPS in 2024 and later cancelled. The report describes alleged procurement manipulation, fronting and failures in contract delivery. It also recommends action against several other people linked to the matter.
The latest report is significant because it adds a formal forensic recommendation to a controversy already examined in Parliament and at the Madlanga Commission. Earlier in 2026, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi withdrew a separate claim that money had been deposited into an account linked to Cele after investigators established that a phone number had been misidentified. The new forensic report is a distinct development and Cele continues to deny receiving cash.
Whether prosecutors act on the recommendation will now be a central accountability question. A recommendation to prosecute is not itself a criminal charge or conviction; any prosecution would still have to proceed through the National Prosecuting Authority and the courts.
