  We conducted a search for HI emission of the gas-rich galaxies in the Vela
region ($260^{\circ} \leq \ell \leq 290^{\circ}, -2^{\circ} \leq b \leq
1^{\circ}$) to explore the Vela Supercluster (VSCL) at $V_\mathrm{hel} \sim
18000$ km s$^{-1}$, largely obscured by Galactic dust. Within the mostly
RFI-free band ($250 < V_\mathrm{hel} < 25000$ km s$^{-1}$) of MeerKAT, the
analysis focuses on $157$ hexagonally distributed pointings extracted from the
SARAO MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey located in the Vela region (Vela$-$SMGPS).
These were combined into 10 contiguous mosaics, covering a ${\sim}90$ deg$^2$
area. Among the $843$ HI detected sources, 39 were previously discovered in the
Parkes HIZOA survey ($V_\mathrm{hel} < 12000$ km s$^{-1}$; rms $\sim 6$ mJy
beam$^{-1}$). With the improved rms level of the Vela$-$SMGPS, i.e., $0.29 -
0.56$ mJy beam$^{-1}$, our study unveils nearly 12 times more detections (471
candidates) in that same velocity range. We furthermore could identify $187$
galaxy candidates with an HI mass limit reaching $\log (M_{\rm HI}/\rm
M_{\odot}) = 9.44$ in the VSCL velocity range $V_\mathrm{hel} \sim 19500 \pm
3500$ km s$^{-1}$. We find indications of two wall-like overdensities that
confirm the original suspicion that these walls intersect at low latitudes
around longitudes of $\ell \sim 272^{\circ} - 278^{\circ}$. We also find a
strong signature most likely associated with the Hydra/Antlia extension and
evidence of a previously unknown narrow filament at $V_\mathrm{hel} \sim 12000$
km s$^{-1}$. This paper demonstrates the efficiency of systematic HI surveys
with the SKA precursor MeerKAT, even in the most obscured part of the Zone of
Avoidance (ZOA).
