The wife of alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, Tsakane Matlala, has been arrested alongside his close associate Given Makofane as the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team widens its probe into a fraudulent luxury lease deal.
Tsakane was arrested on Tuesday morning by members of the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team, shortly after the arrest of Makofane.
She is the second suspect to be detained in connection with an allegedly fraudulent R1.2 million lease agreement for a luxury multi-million rand apartment in Pretoria’s Waterkloof.
Sources close to the investigation allege Tsakane faked bank statements to help Matlala land the R95,000-a-month lease, which he allegedly applied for using an eSwatini ID, with two more arrests expected in the case.
The arrests mark a dramatic escalation for the Task Team, which was on the prowl across Gauteng on Tuesday morning targeting associates of the controversial tenderpreneur.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe had not confirmed the arrests by publication time, but Africa Daily can reliably reveal that the operation focused on the Waterkloof deal now under fraud investigation.
Makofane, known as Matlala’s driver and close confidant, is no stranger to the PKTT In June, his Pretoria East residence was raided and he was taken in for questioning by the task team before being released.
His closeness to Matlala was laid bare at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where testimony heard that Matlala had sought help from senior police contacts when Makofane was arrested for speeding. WhatsApp messages recovered from Matlala’s phone showed Matlala referring to him as “my blood brother” while appealing to police bosses to intervene.
For Tsakane, Tuesday’s arrest is the second time she has faced the law alongside her husband. She is already a co-accused with Matlala in a separate case where the couple faces 25 counts including conspiracy to commit murder, money laundering, and the attempted murders of actress Tebogo Thobejane, Matlala’s ex-girlfriend, and taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni.
She has previously made headlines after allegedly scoring a R3.7-million Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality contract through a company she had controlled for just 10 days.
Investigators are also probing claims that Tsakane posed as a Swazi princess to bolster business interests. Sources allege she faked royal connections to Eswatini to facilitate applications linked to her husband, who himself used Eswatini documentation in the Pretoria lease deal. The alleged false princess identity is now forming part of the broader fraud investigation.
The swoop is the latest fallout from Matlala’s sprawling empire. The tenderpreneur is at the centre of the R360-million South African Police Service health services tender scandal that has already seen nine police officers suspended. The contract, to provide health services to 180,000 police officers, was flagged in an audit report before Matlala was arrested.
The Madlanga Commission, established by President Cyril Ramaphosa after explosive claims by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that organised criminals had infiltrated the justice system, has heard how Matlala allegedly cultivated close relationships with senior law enforcement figures, including KZN Hawks head Major General Lesetja Senona and acting Ekurhuleni Metro Police chief Julius Mkhwanazi.
Police have not yet released a formal statement on Tuesday’s arrests, but sources indicate that Makofane and Tsakane are expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court later this week on fraud charges, with two more arrests imminent.
The investigation continues.
