Latest news with #Makgothi
IOL News
09-07-2025
- IOL News
Vusimuzi ‘Cat' Matlala found with mobile phone at Kgosi Mampuru prison
Businessman and murder-accused Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala during a recent court appearance at the Alexandra Magistrate's Court. He has been fingered as a central cog in the corruption claimed by KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Image: Supplied The man widely accused of being at the heart of police infiltration and capture of law enforcement apparatus in South Africa, Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala was this week found with a mobile phone during a raid at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in Pretoria. On Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday, Correctional Services national commissioner, Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale, led an extensive raid and search operation at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre in Pretoria, including its high-security C-Max section. The raid on Tuesday and Wednesday was a follow-up to another blitz conducted on Sunday, where officials found Matlala with a mobile phone. 'Cat Matlala is at C-Max correction facility because of a classification. He is classified as high-risk but also secondly, we continue to do searches, especially these types of searches that we did last night," Thobakgale told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika on Wednesday morning. 'On Sunday morning, we did a surprise search and we found a cellphone in his possession.' At the time, Matlala was in a section of the vast prison called 'local' which houses medium to low-risk individuals. 'He was at medium local,' said Thobakgale. The Department of Correctional Services said investigations are underway to ascertain how Matlala managed to have the mobile device in the prison. The gadget has since been handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS). 'When we find objects like cellphones in cases that are high-risk like this one, we hand the object over to the South African Police Service so that is what we have done immediately, on the same day,' said Thobakgale. 'After uncovering the device, we contacted SAPS and they came and collected it.' IOL has reported that it has since emerged that former police minister, Bheki Cele, is now implicated in the police corruption scandal involving Matlala.
IOL News
09-07-2025
- IOL News
Hello: Vusimuzi ‘Cat' Matlala was found with mobile phone at Kgosi Mampuru prison
Businessman and murder-accused Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala during a recent court appearance at the Alexandra Magistrate's Court. He has been fingered as a central cog in the corruption claimed by KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Image: Supplied The man widely accused of being at the heart of police infiltration and capture of law enforcement apparatus in South Africa, Vusumuzi 'Cat' Matlala was this week found with a mobile phone during a raid at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in Pretoria. On Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday, Correctional Services national commissioner, Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale, led an extensive raid and search operation at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre in Pretoria, including its high-security C-Max section. The raid on Tuesday and Wednesday was a follow-up to another blitz conducted on Sunday, where officials found Matlala with a mobile phone. 'Cat Matlala is at C-Max correction facility because of a classification. He is classified as high-risk but also secondly, we continue to do searches, especially these types of searches that we did last night," Thobakgale told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika on Wednesday morning. 'On Sunday morning, we did a surprise search and we found a cellphone in his possession.' At the time, Matlala was in a section of the vast prison called 'local' which houses medium to low-risk individuals. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'He was at medium local,' said Thobakgale. The Department of Correctional Services said investigations are underway to ascertain how Matlala managed to have the mobile device in the prison. The gadget has since been handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS). 'When we find objects like cellphones in cases that are high-risk like this one, we hand the object over to the South African Police Service so that is what we have done immediately, on the same day,' said Thobakgale. 'After uncovering the device, we contacted SAPS and they came and collected it.' IOL has reported that it has since emerged that former police minister, Bheki Cele, is now implicated in the police corruption scandal involving Matlala.
TimesLIVE
05-06-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
270 correctional services employees to line up for Comrades Marathon
Exercise improves focus and productivity at work, says national correctional services commissioner Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale. An avid runner, he shared his good wishes to the 270 departmental staff participating in the Comrades Marathon, which will start in Pietermaritzburg and end in Durban this weekend. He is hoping for a strong performance and will attend the event to cheer on the team.
News24
24-04-2025
- News24
Four Free State warders arrested in connection with inmate's death
Four prison warders were arrested at the Mangaung Correctional Facility on Tuesday evening. Their arrests follow the death of an inmate at the facility. The inmate's death was initially reported as due to natural causes. Four prison warders have been arrested in connection with the death of an inmate at a Free State correctional facility. "On Wednesday, 12 March, police were notified of the death of 37-year-old Mpho Mkhumbeni, an inmate at Mangaung Correctional Facility in Bloemfontein. At the time, the death was believed to be due to natural causes, and an inquest docket was opened for further investigations," police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said. However, post-mortem results indicated that Mkhumbeni had not died of natural causes. "These findings led investigators to change the inquest docket to a murder investigation. Further investigations by the Bloemspruit police on the evening of Tuesday, 22 April, resulted in the arrest of four warders, aged between 34 and 50, for the alleged murder of the inmate," Makhele added. Makhele said the investigation was ongoing. #sapsFS #SAPS Bloemspruit has on 22/04 arrested four prison warders in connection with the death of an Wednesday, 12 /03, police were notified of the death of 37yr-old inmate at Mangaung correctional facility in Bloemfontein. At the time, the death was believed to… — SA Police Service ???? (@SAPoliceService) April 23, 2025 The incident took place at the same facility from which notorious rapist Thabo Bester escaped in May 2022. News24 previously reported that the national commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale, had given an assurance that an escape similar to that of Bester would not occur again. The Public Protector launched an investigation in March 2023 after receiving a complaint from a member of the public that the DCS had failed the public in its handling of the escape. The report by the Public Protector, according to GroundUp, concluded that the conduct of two DCS officials, Roseline Phahlane and Chris Mahonono, "constitutes improper conduct as contemplated in terms of Section 182(1)(a) of the Constitution and amounts to undue delay as envisaged in Section 6(4)(a)(ii) of the Public Protector Act".
