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Alleged crime kingpin and tenderpreneur Vusimuzi ‘Cat' Matlala in court over attempted murder charges
Alleged crime kingpin and tenderpreneur Vusimuzi ‘Cat' Matlala in court over attempted murder charges

IOL News

time4 days ago

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Alleged crime kingpin and tenderpreneur Vusimuzi ‘Cat' Matlala in court over attempted murder charges

Vusimuzi 'Cat ' Matlala a wealthy government contractor, will appear at the Alexandra Regional Court for attempted murder charges. Image: IOL Graphics 'High-risk' controversial tender tycoon and crime accused Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala is expected to appear in the Alexandra Magistrate's Court on Friday morning, following his decision to abandon a bail application last month. His wife, Tsakani Matlala, was granted bail of R20,000. Matlala, 49, who is a Pretoria businessman, faces charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and money laundering. He is currently being held at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre's C-Max unit. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 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, known for her role on the popular television drama Muvhango, was shot in the foot, while a female passenger in the car sustained a serious spinal cord injury. Matlala's wife, Tsakani, was added to the case in May. Last month, the court was told that the lawyers on both sides had made a deal before the hearing. This was because of her health and the fact that she has small children, the prosecutors did not argue against letting her out on bail. As part of her bail conditions, Tsakani was ordered to surrender her passport, remain in Gauteng, and refrain from contacting witnesses or relatives of the other accused. Matlala was arrested in Midrand on May 14 following what police described as a high-profile investigation. Officials say he was behind the hit attempt on Thobejane and helped clean millions in dirty money, including cash from a shady R360 million South African Police Service (SAPS) tender. Matlala, who used to show off luxury cars, and huge houses, now shares a maximum-security prison with high-profile criminals like convicted killer Thabo Bester. Recently, a mobile phone was discovered in Matlala's possession during a raid led by Correctional Services National Commissioner Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale at Kgosi Mampuru's C-Max section. The device was confiscated and handed over to SAPS. 'Cat Matlala is at the C-Max correction facility because of a classification. He is classified as high-risk,' Thobakgale said. 'On Sunday morning, we did a surprise search and found a cellphone in his possession.' At the time of the discovery, Matlala was being housed in a medium-security section of the prison, referred to as 'local.' Thobakgale said investigations are ongoing to determine how he accessed the device. 'When we find objects like cellphones in cases that are high-risk like this one, we hand the object over to the South African Police Service, which is what we did immediately,' Thobakgale said. Matlala has recently been linked to Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu in serious allegations of interference and misconduct within the police service, made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. During a press conference held in Durban on Sunday, Mkhwanazi alleged that Mchunu was the subject of a criminal investigation and implicated in a broader scheme involving corrupt elements within SAPS leadership. Matlala's company had been awarded a R360-million health services tender from the SAPS. However the tender has since been scrapped. In May 2025, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola cancelled the contract, stating that Matlala's firm should not have progressed beyond the initial bidding stage. Meanwhile, Mchunu has rejected the allegations and denied any connection to Matlala. IOL

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