JOHANNESBURG - The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has finally heard how the Ekurhuleni municipality allegedly opened its doors to suspected criminal boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala through suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi.
Mkhwanazi told the commission that his relationship with Matlala began in 2021, when EMPD colleagues introduced him to Medicare24 founder Mike van Wyk.
Matlala’s Medicare24 Tshwane District came through Van Wyk’s parent company.
Van Wyk’s name first surfaced at the Ad Hoc Committee probing corruption and political infiltration of the criminal justice system.
There, Matlala testified that he met Van Wyk in 2018 in the estate where they both lived.
He said a “business opportunity” to expand Medicare24 into townships brought them together.
Van Wyk allegedly wanted to expand and manage township clinics. Matlala says the deal made sense, given that he was already supplying medical equipment to hospitals.
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A similar business opportunity brought Van Wyk and Mkhwanazi together – this time to provide emergency medical support to officers.
Mkhwanazi told the commission: “His idea was to assist with first response when our members are injured in incidents – stabbings, shootings, accidents.
He said they would stabilise the member and assist with clinics or hospitals if the officer had medical aid.
He even mentioned they could facilitate situations where a chopper was needed to speed up the process.”
Mkhwanazi says he immediately raised the matter with his superior, who told him such a proposal would need to be handled by the City because it involved health and medical aid matters.
A formal engagement allegedly followed, with Van Wyk presenting the proposal to senior City of Ekurhuleni management, including all heads of department and the municipal manager - an engagement Mkhwanazi says he was not a part of.
Mkhwanazi’s links to Matlala were further entrenched through the latter’s CAT VIP security company.
He says his team told him of guys that were working with Van Wyk.
"Those guys are trained and are from special task force, SAPS, army but are recruited and working for a company called CAT VIP security," he explained.
Mkhwanazi would go on to use the company’s security services for the 2022 Ekurhuleni State of the City Address, despite CAT VIP not being on the municipality's service provider database.