“I’m not a child,” Cat Matlala tells MP as she digs into his testimony.
ActionSA MP Dereleen James took on Cat Matlala during Parliament’s ad-hoc committee hearings at the Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria.
James confronted Matlala about allegations that he paid for a BBL for a senior SAPS member.
She also challenged his claim that he personally collected his firearms, saying she visited the police station where they were stored and found records that contradict his version of events. Matlala accused her of lying, insisting he remembers the day clearly.
James further claimed Matlala received preferential treatment in prison and said he had ample time with his legal team. She questioned why he sent a letter through his lawyers requesting a postponement of his testimony, adding that his wife had been present during all his legal consultations.
Matlala responded:
“I’m not a child. I don’t even think she’s older than me, but even if she is, we are here to treat each other as equals. I don’t think she had the right to raise her voice at me. I’m not comfortable with that.”
James fired back: “You’re not my equal.”
Do you think James crossed the line, or was she justified?
Was Matlala being disrespected or just challenged?