MBABANE – Investigations into how South African ‘crime boss’ Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala acquired an Eswatini national identity (ID) document have taken a dramatic turn, with moves to sabotage the ongoing probe.
Following a recent exposé by the Times of Eswatini detailing how Matlala, accused of orchestrating a network of corruption, fraud and violence in South Africa, holds a local ID issued under mysterious circumstances, new developments have emerged, including a deliberate move to obstruct the investigations.
An investigation by this publication uncovered that shortly after the initial article’s publication, the implicated Home Affairs employee allegedly telephoned a contact at the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP), requesting the removal of digital traces related to the ID.
Further enquiries uncovered that the user name of the implicated Home Affairs employee who reportedly assisted in the manufacturing of the fraudulent ID was then replaced with that of her deceased colleague.
This alteration was quickly noticed, prompting RSTP officials to track developments at the Ministry of Home Affairs database system.
As they monitored the system, RSTP officials established the alterations and subsequently reversed everything to its initial user.
This discovery indicated collusion between an implicated employee and an RSTP officer in an attempt to divert the investigation.
Despite everything being tracked back to its initial setting before the tampering, RSTP officials fell short in identifying the exact workstation that had ‘erased’ any traces of Matlala being issued a local ID.
Last week, the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) National Commissioner (NATCOM) Vusi Manoma Masango confirmed that police had launched investigations into the manipulation of the country’s information system mainframe to grant the man citizenship.
Meanwhile, senators have called for the Ministry of Home Affairs to close the loopholes in the immigration system, propelled by the recent case of Matlala’s dual identity.
The senators expressed dismay over what they described as a breach in the Immigration Department, as they cited this publication’s expose’ on Matlala having obtained an ID in the country under false pretences.
Senator Lorraine Nxumalo made this submission during the House of Senate’s First Quarter Performance Report debate of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Nxumalo said it was disturbing to read about the breach in immigration, yet those implicated were yet to be identified and arrested.
“Crime bosses such as Matlala clearly found loopholes in our immigration system, enough to obtain a national identity in the country. Why are there no arrests yet regarding this matter?” she said.
She questioned what the ministry was doing to close the gaps which were resulting in such heightened fraudulent activities, noting that in the past, officials who had committed fraudulent activities in the ministry had been swiftly apprehended.
In response to this submission, the acting Minister for Home Affairs, Appolo Maphalala, who was deputising for Princess Lindiwe, said intense investigations were underway regarding the Matlala case.
He said the ministry was planning to instal CCTV cameras in strategic points to decrease fraudulent activities.
“Those who are implicated in the Matlala issue will soon be identified and further dealt with,” said the acting minister.
Also sharing similar sentiments were senators Princess Ntfombiyenkosi and Gelane Dlamini. Senator Gelane called for the introduction of e-passports and e-IDs to curb the surging fraud on passports and ID at immigration offices, while Senator Princess Ntfombiyenkosi said the ministry ought to report on ‘emagundvwane’ (criminals) in the ministry. She said there was an outcry from the public regarding fraudulent activities happening within the ministry.
The initial Times of Eswatini investigation revealed that the Ministry of Home Affairs’ civil registry listed a man with attributes identical to Matlala as Vusimuzi Dlamini, a resident of Motshane, with ID number 7605286100###.
This ‘Dlamini’ was registered as the second-born son of Christinah Thembi Shongwe, a housewife from Motshane. However, authorities were baffled as Shongwe’s actual second-born child is not Vusumuzi, making his registration a mystery, especially with no father listed on the documents seen by this newspaper.
The picture on the Eswatini ID matches Matlala’s widely circulated image in South African media, suggesting a recent acquisition. To obtain an Eswatini national ID, one typically requires an unabridged birth certificate proving both parents are emaSwati, or for foreigners, a rigorous application process including residency, good character, economic self-sufficiency and community acceptance.
Matlala’s purported ID raises significant questions about this process, especially given his current incarceration at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in South Africa, where he awaits trial on charges including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering. These charges are linked to a R360 million South African Police Service (SAPS) health services tender.
Full article available in our paper.
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