The saga involving Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has spiraled into a far-reaching conspiracy, exposing a disturbing nexus of celebrity, business, law enforcement, and alleged criminality that threatens the integrity of the state. What began as a tax inquiry has unearthed connections to assassination plots, massive corruption, and claims of a “captured” police service.
The SARS Investigation and the Attempted Murder
The catalyst for these public revelations was a high-stakes tax inquiry into the financial affairs of businesswoman and reality TV star Shauwn Mkhize. The investigation, which delved into her significant wealth and numerous business entities, was spearheaded by senior SARS attorney Coreth Naudè. The intensity of the probe was met with extreme violence when an attempt was made on Naudè’s life. She survived the attempted murder, an event widely interpreted as a direct and brutal effort to intimidate SARS and halt the investigation in its tracks.
This violent act escalated the situation, leading to a raid on MaMkhize’s opulent La Lucia home. The purpose of the raid was to seize assets and gather further evidence for the tax evasion case. What investigators found, however, opened a new and more alarming chapter.
The Raid: Enter Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala
During the raid, authorities discovered a cache of over 40 firearms. These weapons were not registered to Mkhize but to CAT VIP Protection, a prominent security company. The owner of this company is the controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a figure whose name has been repeatedly linked to other high-profile criminal cases. This discovery officially tied MaMkhize’s case to a man already on the radar of law enforcement for multiple serious allegations.
“Cat” Matlala: A Pattern of Controversy
Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala is a central figure in this web, with connections to several major scandals:
- The Tebogo Thobejane Plot: Matlala’s wife, Lerato, allegedly ordered a hit on actress Tebogo Thobejane. Thobejane claimed in court documents that Lerato Matlala believed she was having an affair with her husband and, as a result, hired hitmen to kill her. This case brought Cat Matlala’s tumultuous personal and business life into the public spotlight.
- The Babita Deokaran Assassination: Matlala is deeply implicated in the R850 million Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital corruption scandal. This vast network of fraudulent procurement was exposed by Gauteng Health Department CFO Babita Deokaran, who was brutally assassinated in a contract-style killing outside her home in August 2021. Investigations later revealed that Matlala’s companies were among the biggest beneficiaries, receiving hundreds of millions in suspicious payments flagged by Deokaran before her murder.
- The Blocked SAPS Tender: Despite being a person of interest in these major cases, Matlala’s company, CAT VIP Protection, remarkably secured a massive R360 million tender with the South African Police Service (SAPS). The tender was for services including the protection of critical infrastructure. The awarding of this contract to a man linked to such serious allegations caused a major uproar. It was only through the direct intervention of SAPS National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola that the tender was halted. His reported stance—“Not on my watch”—prevented what would have been a catastrophic blow to police credibility.
The Whistleblower: Lt. Gen. Mkwanazi ‘s Explosive Allegations
The connections grew even more alarming when Gauteng’s Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Boitumelo Mkhwanazi, came forward with explosive allegations. In an April 2025 interview with Eyewitness News (EWN), Mkhwanazi directly linked “Cat” Matlala to the highest echelons of police leadership, including Police Minister Bheki Cele’s successor, Senzo Mchunu, and Deputy Minister Shadrack Sibiya. At the heart of this alleged collusion is a shadowy figure named Brown Mogotsi.
Who is Brown Mogotsi? The Influencer in the Shadows
According to Mkhwanazi, Brown Mogotsi is an ANC member and businessman from the North West province with no official government position. However, he operates with the influence and access of a high-ranking state official, privy to sensitive intelligence and moving freely within police and political circles. Mkhwanazi claimed Mogotsi is a close associate and “handler” for Minister Mchunu.
Mkhwanazi stated that Mogotsi attempted to manipulate him by sending messages and confidential documents, trying to create division among the SAPS top brass to advance his own agenda. The most damning allegation from Mkhwanazi is that the political careers of both Minister Mchunu and Brown Mogotsi are financially bankrolled by “Cat” Matlala.
Further intelligence, including WhatsApp evidence and police reports (POPs – Point of Presence), suggests Matlala co-owns a criminal extortion gang in Mamelodi. This gang has allegedly been extorting money from residents of the nearby Ikageng informal settlement by promising—and failing—to illegally divert water from the local reservoir to their community.
The Disbanded Task Team: A Sinister Turn
The most sinister allegation revolves around the dismantling of a highly successful police task team. This specialised unit was making significant headway in cracking complex political assassination cases, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. According to Mkhwanazi, the team was getting too close to uncovering the powerful figures behind the killings.
Acting on instructions allegedly originating from Matlala and Mogotsi, Minister Mchunu ordered the task team to be disbanded. Mchunu dispatched his deputy, Shadrack Sibiya, to personally retrieve 121 dockets from the team. The day after the dockets were removed, the team members received a chilling, informal letter telling them to “pack your bags and go kiss your wives — your little treasure hunt is over.”
Mkhwanazi asserts that the team had already secured warrants of arrest for key suspects in these cases, but following the unit’s disbandment, those warrants have never been signed or executed.
The Aftermath and Lingering Questions
Adding to the controversy, Deputy Minister Sibiya later publicly dismissed the disbanded team’s work, claiming they had failed to make progress in the high-profile murder case of rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes. This is the same Shadrack Sibiya who, as the then-head of the Hawks in Gauteng, was one of the first senior officers to arrive at the scene of Senzo Meyiwa’s shooting—a famously compromised crime scene where several celebrities, including Chicco Twala’s son Longwe, were present.
Mkhwanazi’s final allegation is perhaps the most critical for national security. He claims the disbanded task team had uncovered solid links between top police officials and international drug trafficking syndicates. These syndicates are allegedly operating out of South Africa’s major ports, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, with the entire criminal network being coordinated from Gauteng. The disbandment of the team effectively shut down this critical investigation into narcotrafficking at the highest levels.
Taken together, these allegations paint a disturbing portrait of a law enforcement agency potentially compromised by criminal interests, where investigations are derailed from within, and where those tasked with upholding the law are accused of protecting the very figures they should be investigating.
