Overview

• Testifying on day 10 of hearings, Khumalo displayed WhatsApp exchanges between Brown Mogotsi and Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, including a screenshot of a conversation with a contact saved as “Senzo Mchunu” asking for updates and whether an arrest had been effected.
• Khumalo said analysis of the chats shows Mogotsi and Matlala discussed using Ipid to open an assault case after December raids on Matlala’s premises, with messages referencing the need for a J88 form before any arrest.
• The messages reflected discussions of payments, including a requested 25% deposit of R37,000 on a R148,000 amount, with references to travel and accommodation that Khumalo said indicated funding to influence outcomes.
• Khumalo maintained that his June 2025 arrest was a politically motivated case of mistaken identity allegedly engineered by Mogotsi to discredit the Political Killings Task Team.
• He further alleged that KZN Hawks head Maj-Gen Lesetja Senona leaked confidential SAPS information to Matlala due to business ties involving Senona’s son.