Key figure in South Africa police corruption scandal pleads guilty

Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, a central figure in a major ongoing police graft inquiry in South Africa, has pleaded guilty to corruption, fraud and money-laundering charges as part of a deal with state prosecutors.

He was accused of bribing top police officials to win a 360m rand ($22m; £16.5m) tender for his health company Medicare24 in 2024.

The plea deal, which has not yet been accepted by the magistrate, would result in Matlala giving evidence against “high-ranking officials”, state advocate Santhos Manilall said.

Police chief Gen Fannie Masemola is one of those facing charges in relation to this case. He has denied the charges.