The Johannesburg High Court is on Monday expected to hear attempted murder-accused and alleged drug cartel member Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s bid to appeal the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court decision that denied him bail.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said Matlala’s bail appeal will be heard before Judge Elmien du Plessis at 10am.
In September, magistrate Dyta Prinsloo dismissed Matlala’s application for bail in his current case where he is accused of the October 2023 attempted murder of his ex-lover Tebogo Thobejane, a famous television actress and influencer.
Prinsloo said Matlala cannot get bail because he is a flight risk with financial means to evade trial.
She said the court further held that there is a likelihood Matlala may interfere with state witnesses and that he failed to prove exceptional circumstances to justify his release.
The investigating officer in the case said Matlala holds an unlawfully obtained Eswatini identity document, enabling him to cross borders undetected.
Gallery of rogues
Matlala (49), his wife Tsakani (36), two alleged hitmen Musa Kekana (35) and Tiego Floyd Mabusela (47), and Nthabiseng Nzama (23), who is the daughter of Mabusela, have been charged with the October 2023 attempted murder of Thobejane.
The five accused are facing various charges including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud, money laundering and defeating the ends of justice in connection with the alleged hit on Thobejane.
Nzama faces a charge of money laundering. The state alleges that Nzama facilitated fund transfers between accounts, fully aware that the money originated from criminal activity.
During their previous appearance at the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on October 7, the state requested the matter to be postponed to allow for the centralisation of two dockets received from Pretoria in which the accused are implicated.
Two key dockets
Magistrate Renier Boshoff postponed the matter to November 11 for the centralisation of two additional dockets received from Pretoria and to facilitate the transfer of the case to the Johannesburg High Court.
The two Pretoria dockets relate to the shooting of taxi billionaire Joe Sibanyoni in August 2022 outside the Centurion Golf Estate, and the shooting of Seunkie Mokubung, also known as DJ Vettys, in Pretoria West in January 2024.
The state is expected to charge Matlala and his co-accused with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder with regards to the Sibanyoni and DJ Vettys shootings.
Tsakani and Nzama are out on R20 000 and R10 000 bail, respectively.
Kekana, Mabusela and Matlala remain in police custody. Kekana and Mabusela abandoned their bail applications.
The three counts of attempted murder are in connection with the injuries sustained by Thobejane, and her friends Anele Malinga and Khumbulani Ncube from the alleged hit.
The state alleges that the accused committed the crimes between October 12 2023 and October 17 2023, during which they conspired to kill Thobejane. The state further alleges that they opened fire on Thobejane and her two friends.
“It is alleged that the accused laundered over R120 000 linked to the murder plot and submitted a fraudulent invoice in an attempt to conceal the origin of the funds and mislead the court,” said Mjonondwane.
On the night of October 17 2023, the black BMW vehicle that Thobejane, Malinga and Ncube were travelling in was sprayed with a hail of bullets at the corner of Bryanston and Wilton Drive in Bryanston, Sandton, Johannesburg. The shooting occurred between 10pm and 10:30pm.
Thobejane was shot in the foot, while Malinga was wounded and shot in the spinal cord. Malinga has been left paralysed.
Out of fear for her life, Thobejane fled the country after the shooting incident and is currently residing at an undisclosed location abroad.
Thobejane has accused Matlala of orchestrating the alleged hit on her life. Matlala has denied any involvement in the shooting at Thobejane.
Matlala said he and Thobejane dated for 13 months since early 2020, and he ended the relationship in September 2021.
“There was no acrimony at the end of our relationship. I moved on with my life and I got married to my current wife. As at the time of the alleged incident, I was no longer in an intimate relationship with the said victim [Thobejane]. We have been cordial because we are not enemies and are civil towards one another,” said Matlala during his bail application.
The police tender
Meanwhile, in a media briefing on July 6 2025, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said Matlala was awarded a South African Police Service (SAPS) tender worth more than R360 million in 2024.
Mkhwanazi said on May 13 2025, national commissioner of police Gen Fannie Masemola cancelled the SAPS tender awarded to Matlala. The tender award was cancelled a day before Matlala’s arrest for his alleged role in Thobejane’s attempted murder.
Mkhwanazi said he is in possession of WhatsApp communication between Matlala and Brown Mogotsi, a comrade of police minister Senzo Mchunu, allegedly discussing how Mogotsi is working to get Mchunu and deputy national police commissioner for crime detection Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, to interfere and supress the police investigations into Matlala.
He said he has proof of payments showing that Matlala funded the ANC political activities and events of Mchunu and Mogotsi.
Mkhwanazi said he believes that Mchunu and Sibiya took the decision to disband the KZN SAPS political killings task team because it raided Matlala’s home in December 2024, and because it was making inroads in certain Gauteng cases.
