IN PICS | Defence frustrated as Vusi Matlala held outside Gauteng, pre-trial hearing postponed

Controversial businessmanVusimusi “Cat” Matlala’spre-trial hearing was postponed in the Johannesburg high court on Friday after his defence raised concerns about his continued detention outside the province where his trial will be heard. Matlala has been held at eBongweni Correctional Centre in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal, since December, after his transfer from Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria. The correctional services department has previously cited security considerations for the move.

His legal representative, advocate Annelene van den Heever SC, told the court that fresh representations had been sent to national commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale, seeking approval for Matlala to be returned to a Gauteng facility. She said no response had yet been received. The state, represented by Elise Le Roux, confirmed that correctional authorities had conducted a risk assessment but said the document would not be disclosed, describing it as confidential.

The defence argued that the material provided was not accessible without specialised software, “limiting its ability to engage with it meaningfully”. The defence asked that the matter be stood down to allow her to consult properly with Matlala and obtain instructions. “Last week, we were forced to meet between bars where there were hundreds of people listening to us.

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I need to explain something to my client and get instructions from him,” she said. The court agreed to postpone the matter to February 12 to allow the issues to be addressed before any further applications related to detention or trial are pursued. Matlala is one of five accused facing multiple charges, including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud, money-laundering and defeating the ends of justice. The charges stem from the attempted killing of actressTebogo Thobejanein October 2023, as well as alleged plots targeting taxi owner Joe Sibanyoni in 2022 and DJ Vettys in 2024.

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