Shibiri's dodgy R70K Matlala loan

Shibiri said Matlala’s loan offer came at an opportune time when he wanted to rebuild his property and fix his son's car

- Nkateko Joseph Mabasa

Denial and more denials: Suspended head of organised crime Richard Shibiri at the Madlanga Commission this week.

(Photo: Screenshot)

The Madlanga Commission peeled yet another layer of the level of police complicity with organised crime this week as suspended head of organised crime Richard Shibiri conceded to a R70 000 loan he took from businessperson and alleged leader of the Big Five cartel, Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala.

"I had planned to build a wall back home and also at my house. We were also renovating my dad's tombstone in March - that was in my plan - hence I needed extra money to deal with that, knowing that in December I'd be having in excess of R150 000, [from] which I could easily pay back the money," he said of the 2024 transaction.

His thinking at the time was that he needed to fix his son's car and rebuild his family property. He said Matlala's offer came at an opportune moment and it was a loan rather than a request for a favour, a gift.

In recent months, the commission has unveiled Matlala's links to senior police officials through financial transactions and even romantic relationships.

Head of crime intelligence Dumisani Khumalo previously told the commission that almost 80% of Gaunteng police officers have been captured by crime syndicates.

The Madlanga Commission was established to investigate allegations of corruption, criminal infiltration and political interference within the criminal justice system, set up after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's explosive 6 July media briefing.

During his testimony this week, Shibiri conceded to borrowing R70 000 from Matlala in September 2024, saying the money was needed to repair his son's damaged car, among other things.

The money was deposited into his son's account, while Shibiri himself had more than R50 000 in his own account.