NPA clears the air on Perumal ‘suicide’ claims

Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) investigator 'fell ill and is in hospital'.


The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has moved to rubbish claims that Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) investigator Dylan Perumal attempted suicide.

This is after Perumal fell ill and was hospitalised this week.

“We have been in contact with the family, and we can confirm that he indeed fell ill and is in hospital. There is no truth to the claim that he was trying to commit suicide.

“The NPA would like to wish him a speedy recovery, and he must get back to good health. We also call upon the public to refrain from spreading unconfirmed information,” the authority said on Tuesday.

Mentioned at Madlanga

Perumal’s hospitalisation comes amid his name being mentioned during testimony at the Madlanga commission.

Tenderpreneur Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala told the commission on Monday that Perumal and fellow Idac investigator [Brian] Padayachee had probed him for dirt on National Police Commissioner General [Fannie] Masemola, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Provincial Police Commissioner General [Nhlanhla] Mkhwanazi and police’s head of Crime Intelligence General [Dumisani] Khumalo.

Matlala alleged that the pair booked him out of Ebongweni Correctional Centre in Kokstad and took him to Sheraton Hotel instead of C-Max.

“Then they said, ‘Listen, is there anything that you can give me for these three generals? I said, ‘No, I don’t know. I don’t have any information about them’. They said, ‘No, man, we know that you’re very close with [former KZN Hawks head] General [Lesetja] Senona. Call him and ask him if he can give you any information.

“So when he gave me the phone, he said, ‘Use WhatsApp’. I deliberately used a straight call so that, at some point, whatever I’m saying now can be corroborated. I spoke with General Senona, but it was in the AMs, and then he didn’t even trust that it was me on the phone. And then he said, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’. They took me back to C-Max.”

He alleged that Perumal later took him to write his statement to be put before the commission.

“I want you to know that some of the things which are there are not from myself. So I cannot answer things to which I did not depose a statement.

“I have proof of that because I asked one of my assistants, the junior from my lawyer’s office, to listen, because when I was giving the statement, Perumal himself was the one who was typing the statement. He typed whatever suited him.”

This is a developing story.