Long-running questions about the citizenship status of senior SAPS official Lieutenant-General Lineo Nkhuoa have intensified following the leak of a draft affidavit by controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. The document, prepared as part of a proposed plea agreement that later collapsed, details alleged corrupt arrangements involving senior police officers linked to Matlala's R360-million Medicare24 Tshwane District medical-services contract with the South African Police Service.
A key section of the affidavit contains a direct claim linking former police minister Bheki Cele to Nkhuoa's citizenship.
Cele allegedly helped Nkhuoa with citizenship
In clause 84 of the draft affidavit, Matlala states: “Cele during this time informed me that he was going to speak with General Nkhoua(Nkhoua) about the purchase orders. Cele said that he helped Nkhoua sort out her citizenship. He also said that Nkhoua has a lot of influence to General Masemola and that he is sure that she would be able to speak to Masemola regarding the possible termination of Medicare's contract.”
This is the first time Matlala has placed on record an alleged admission by Cele that he assisted Nkhuoa in resolving her citizenship status. The claim has reignited longstanding public controversy over whether Nkhuoa is a South African citizen by birth.
Nkhuoa's role in the Medicare24 contract
Nkhuoa, who has held high-level positions in human resource management and acted as deputy national commissioner, was centrally involved in the Medicare24 matter. She signed the service-level agreement and was the end-user official responsible for facilitating purchase orders.
Matlala's accounts describe efforts to reach her through intermediaries, including meetings arranged with the involvement of Cele and KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, amid delays and attempts to sustain the contract before its eventual cancellation. Nkhuoa later faced internal disciplinary process over allegations that she signed the agreement without the required authority.
Longstanding citizenship controversy
Allegations that Nkhuoa is not a South African citizen by birth have circulated for years, primarily advanced by whistleblower Patricia Morgan-Mashale. These claims assert that Nkhuoa originated from Lesotho, used an identity document belonging to another person, and that Department of Home Affairs records contain no matching birth or citizenship documentation.
Morgan-Mashale has stated that Home Affairs officials confirmed difficulties locating records and that Nkhuoa declined to fully cooperate with inquiries. She has further alleged that Bheki Cele and National Commissioner Fannie Masemola defended Nkhoua's status in Parliament as that of a born South African, specifically citing Welkom in the Free State, and characterised those statements as inaccurate.
SAPS has previously rejected the claims. In 2022, the service stated that internal and Independent Police Investigative Directorate investigations found Nkhoua to be a South African citizen born in Welkom, in possession of top-secret security clearance, with qualifications verified by the South African Qualifications Authority. Official statements at the time described the social media posts as attempts to vilify senior HR management staff. Critics continue to maintain that Home Affairs systems lack confirming documentation and that the matter remains unresolved.
Cele's alleged involvement and broader context
Matlala's draft affidavit and earlier testimony describe meetings with Cele beginning in December 2024 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Durban, where he raised problems arising from a Political Killings Task Team raid, followed by further contacts involving assistance with police pressure and the medical contract.
Matlala has alleged cash payments to Cele. Cele has denied any friendship with Matlala, characterised certain contacts as intelligence-gathering, acknowledged free stays at a Matlala-linked penthouse while a private citizen, and rejected corruption allegations. A separate SAPS forensic report has reportedly recommended his prosecution over alleged gratification linked to Matlala-linked companies.
The new claim in clause 84 – that Cele admitted helping Nkhuoa “sort out her citizenship” – adds a significant new dimension to the existing allegations of influence and protection surrounding senior SAPS figures.
Pressure for clarity continues
As Matlala's plea process collapsed and related forensic investigations and commission process continue, pressure for clarity on Nkhuoa's documentation and any political interventions has increased. The allegation that a former police minister assisted a senior SAPS general with her citizenship status raises serious questions about vetting processes, security clearances, and institutional integrity.