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Malema sets record straight on 'links' to Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala

Malema sets record straight on 'links' to Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has labelled reports that his wife, Mantoa Matlala, is related to murder accused businessman Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala as petty gossip.
This, after reports surfaced on social media that Malema and his wife use CAT VIP protection services owned by Matlala, and that the outspoken leader has been silent on the issues concerning the businessman because his wife is related to him.
The 49-year-old has been a hot topic after he was named by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as an alleged funder of the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, during an explosive media briefing earlier this month that sent shockwaves across the country.
Speaking to journalists in Polokwane at the ward 13 by-election on Wednesday, 16 July, Malema said he has nothing to do with Matlala.
'He must go rot in jail. I don't know him, I don't even care about him. I've never had anything to do with him. So, you take petty gossip and you come and ask me about it? There are serious national issues you must ask me about. I've got nothing to do with what is happening,' he said.
Meanwhile, Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala and his wife appeared before the Alexandra Magistrate's Court last Friday on charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and money laundering.
IOL reported that the Matlalas face charges linked to a high-profile attack on actress and socialite Tebogo Thobejane, who survived a dramatic shooting incident in October 2023 on the N1 highway near Sandton, Johannesburg.
Thobejane reportedly was shot in the foot, while a female passenger in the car sustained a serious spinal cord injury.
At the weekend after his court appearance, the 49-year-old Pretoria businessman was caught with a cellphone during a surprise search which was led by Correctional Services national commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale at the Kgosi Mampuru C-Max section where he is detained.
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