Legal eagles in the making flock to Matlala trial

Female law students fill the public gallery of the Johannesburg High Court during the trial of Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his four co-accused The trial of Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his four co-accused has become a classroom for female law students, with many packing the public gallery of the Johannesburg High Court. The five are on trial on 25 charges linked to the attempted murders of businessman Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and five others, media personality Tebogo Thobejane and three others, and musician DJ Vettys and two others. Matlala is in the dock with alleged gunmen Musa Kekana and Tiego Floyd Mabusela, his wife Tsakani, and Nthabiseng Zandile Nzama.

Nombuso Motha, a third-year LLB student at Unisa, said the SA Women Lawyers Association, of which she is a member, had been bringing students to the trial since Monday last week. She served as its academic and legal researcher, and said the student chapter was set up for women studying law. “For the past week, us as the organisation have been coming to observe the court proceedings,” Motha toldIOLon Monday.

“This is to just provide an insight for our members to see a day-to-day court role for advocates as well as attorneys, seeing that the course that we are currently doing caters for that.” Motha said the group wanted its members to see the work up close rather than read about it. “We know female empowerment is one of the fundamental things here in SA,” she said. “So we decided that, no, why not we as the organisation just do our observations, court proceedings, just a day-to-day as to what goes on as an advocate and attorney.” The students will continue attending court until Tuesday.