KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Maj-Gen Lesetja Senona says the murder of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran caught his attention but he did not know Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, who he considers to be a younger brother, was linked to it.
Senona said he learnt about Deokaran’s death through the media.
“Babita’s murder caught my attention because of the way she was killed for exposing corruption,” he told the Madlanga commission investigating alleged criminality in the justice system on Wednesday morning.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi presses KwaZulu-Natal head of Hawks Maj-Gen Lesetja Senona on why he failed to profile Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala after learning that he [Matlala] was implicated in the attempted assassination of his former lover actress Tebogo Thobejane.
— Sowetan (@Sowetan1981) January 28, 2026
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“All I know is the murder was investigated by Johannesburg’s serious organised crime unit.”
He said had he known Matlala was implicated in serious crimes, he would have asked him and it would have affected their relationship.
On Tuesday, Senona said he later became aware of crimes allegedly linked to Matlala and started to distance himself and eventually cut all ties with him.
Deokaran, the late acting chief director financial accounting officer in the Gauteng department of health, was gunned down outside her Winchester Hills home in Johannesburg in 2023.
An investigation by the Special Investigating Unit revealed Deokaran had flagged Matlala’s companies over R5m in irregular tenders awarded to him by Tembisa Hospital.
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