Madlanga Commission | WhatsApp chats suggest SAPS Brigadier overstepped role

WhatsApp messages presented before the Madlanga Commission suggest that South African Police Services (SAPS) Head of Quality Management and Forensic Services, Brigadier Rachel Matjeng, may have acted beyond the scope of her official duties while assisting alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala with matters linked to his SAPS contract.

The messages form part of evidence examining Matjeng’s relationship with the alleged underworld figure and whether personal ties influenced her conduct as a senior police official.

The exchanges suggest that Matjeng may have inserted herself into operational matters outside her professional remit, including assuming the role of an Environmental Compliance Officer to help Matlala submit claims for officials who had failed to attend mandatory medical surveillance tests — a function not aligned with her position within SAPS.

The assistance followed direct requests from Matlala, as reflected in the chat exchanges presented to the inquiry.

Matjeng told the commission her actions were motivated by organisational interests, arguing that non-compliance by officials had previously resulted in fruitless and wasteful expenditure within the South African Police Service.

“As a brigadier, I need to now intervene to minimize the fruitless expenditure. That’s when I intervened. Maybe I used my relationship to the advantage of SAPS. If I use it to the advantage of SAPS then I’m disadvantaging the service provider because his first claim was supposed to be on 337, then I further pushed him for a second appointment, then I pushed him for the third appointment, that number drastically reduced,” Matjeng said.

Advocate Baloyi said Matjeng’s actions were deliberate and influenced by her relationship with the crime cartel kingpin.

Matjeng however rejected the suggestion that she was doing favors for Matlala.

Testifying on Friday, Matjeng revealed that she had requested assistance from Matlala in sourcing Ozempic injections, saying she struggled to obtain the medication from medical suppliers after receiving a prescription. She told the commission she approached Matlala because he oversees Medicare24.

Ozempic is an injectable medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration, primarily used to manage blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Matjeng said she believed the medication was a safer alternative to cosmetic procedures.

Matjeng’s legal representative later requested a re-examination of her testimony, seeking clarity on whether money she received from Matlala constituted rewards in exchange for favours within SAPS, or whether it was simply generosity from someone she described as her boyfriend.

Matjeng has previously testified that she has been in an on-and-off relationship with Matlala since 2017, describing him as a “romantic” who often showered her with gifts and money.

She also confirmed that she asked Matlala to assist her in settling a R150,000 legal debt after attorneys obtained a judgment against her.

When questioned on the amount requested, Matjeng said there was no specific figure.

“I just showed him the judgment,” she said.

She confirmed that the R100,000 she received reduced the judgment and maintained that the assistance was given in his capacity as her boyfriend, not as a SAPS service provider.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao