Business tycoon Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala will remain in custody after the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday postponed his formal bail application to 2 September.
Matlala, 49, faces charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering. He is accused of orchestrating a 2023 hit on his former partner, actress and socialite Tebogo Thobejane.
The alleged plot stems from a shooting on the N1 near Sandton in which Thobejane, known for her role in Muvhango, was shot in the foot while a passenger in her vehicle sustained a serious spinal injury.
Matlala appeared briefly in court under heavy police guard and in shackles alongside four co-accused, including his wife, Tsakani Matlala.
He has been classified a high-risk inmate and is being held in the C-Max unit at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre, where convicted murderer Thabo Bester is also detained.
While Matlala remains behind bars with no bail, the four co-accused are set to return to court on 7 October, when the State will seek to centralise seven related dockets from Orlando, Pretoria West, Sandton and Vereeniging.
Prosecutors say consolidating the cases will streamline proceedings, with the ultimate aim of transferring the matter to the Johannesburg High Court.
Tsakani Matlala was added to the charge sheet in May and granted R20,000 bail on health grounds. Her bail conditions include surrendering her passport, staying within Gauteng and avoiding contact with witnesses or relatives of the accused. Another accused, Nthabiseng Nzama, 23, was also granted bail earlier this year.
The State has confirmed it will oppose Matlala’s upcoming bail application, though it has not disclosed its arguments. The businessman was arrested in Midrand on 14 May following what police described as a “high-profile investigation.”
He also faces allegations of laundering millions of rand, including funds linked to a R360 million South African Police Service (SAPS) health services tender. That tender, awarded to a company linked to him, was cancelled in May after Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola ruled it should never have been approved.
The consolidated case against Matlala and his co-accused involves charges of corruption, fraud, violence and financial crimes, allegations prosecutors say point to an organised network directed by the businessman.
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