The state has no direct DNA evidence implicating alleged drug cartel member Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala in the October 2023 attempted murder of his ex-lover Tebogo Thobejane, a famous television actress and influencer.
This was revealed by the controversial businessman’s lawyer Adv Laurence Hodes SC, during his application to appeal the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court decision that denied him bail in September. The state is opposing Matlala’s bail appeal.
Speaking on Monday at the Johannesburg High Court, Hodes told Judge Pieter du Plessis that Magistrate Dyta Prinsloo erred in her decision to deny Matlala bail on September 17.
“The state said there is no smoking gun. The state said it has circumstantial evidence against the appellant [Matlala]. There is no recording or DNA evidence against the appellant.
No iota of evidence against Cat
“The state is relying on a text conversation to link the appellant to the crime. The appellant should be presumed innocent in this case. There is no iota of evidence against him… The state is relying on suspicion and putting together puzzles…,” said Hodes.
The state prosecutor, who cannot be named due to a court order, said Matlala’s bail denial should not be overturned because his behaviour is not impeccable, and he is untruthful.
She said after contents of Matlala’s phone were downloaded after his arrest on May 14, 2025, police found that the messages reveal that there is evidence of a trust entity established in Mauritius that Matlala is interested in.
She said Matlala did not reveal this information about a trust in Mauritius in his initial bail affidavit but only revealed it at a later stage because he was “caught out and he is not inclined to be honest with the court”.
Matlala’s behaviour not impeccable
She said the fact that Matlala was found in possession of a cellphone while in prison in July is a fact that the court cannot ignore and shows that his behaviour is not impeccable.
The prosecutor said the witnesses in Thobejane’s attempted murder fear for their lives.
Hodes said Matlala can afford R100 000 bail and is willing to do house arrest.
Du Plessis reserved his judgement and said he will issue the judgement electronically on Friday or next week Monday.
Matlala was not present in court.
The court case comes over two weeks after National Crime Intelligence Head Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo told the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system that Matlala is part of a drug cartel known as the Big Five.
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.
Group facing attempted murder charges
The five accused are facing various charges including but not limited to 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, 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 in Centurion and the shooting of Seunkie Mokubong, 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 regard 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 various crimes between October 12 2023 and October 17 2023, during which the accused allegedly conspired to kill Thobejane. The state further alleges that they opened fire on Thobejane and her two friends.
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.
