Controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala says he is shocked to be linked to the attempted murder of Muvhango actress Tebogo Thobejane and how he was singled out and charged for the incident he learned about on social media.
He also said Thobejane had reached out to him for help and protection after the shooting.
“I am still shocked at the reasons why I have been singled out and charged for this incident, while none of the other people she mentioned in both mainstream and social media – as those she suspected of being involved in her shooting – have been charged. Whether she was the targeted victim, or whether it was the other occupants of that vehicle, it does not make any sense to me that I would be associated with her shooting,” Matlala said in his affidavit at the Alexandra magistrate's court on Tuesday morning.
Matlala faces charges of attempted murder, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder, stemming from a 2023 alleged hit on his former girlfriend, Thobejane. The actress was travelling with her friend of the N1 when they were shot at. While Thobejane sustained a foot injury, the friend sustained a serious spinal cord injury and was in hospital for months.
Whether she was the targeted victim, or whether it was the other occupants of that vehicle, it does not make any sense to me that I would be associated with her shooting
— Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala
However, Matlala said the charges against him are baseless.
“I have been informed that I will face charges of attempted murder, conspiracy, and money laundering with related to the three police dockets. From the out, I'll report that all these charges are baseless and lacking substance. I deny the allegations. I challenge the state to demonstrate a way of evidence that I was either direct or indirectly involved in the commission of these heinous crimes,” he said.
Matlala, who is married, said he was in a 13-month relationship with Thobejane which ended cordially and he learned of the incident through social media.
“I ended the relationship around September 2021.
“At the time of the alleged incident, I was no longer in an intimate relationship with the said victim.
“Even though I cannot recall exactly where I was on the day of the incident, I learned about the shooting through social and mainstream media,” he said.
Matlala also said Thobejane had called him asking for help after the incident.
“It is also important to note that this particular victim, whom I dated until 2021, contacted me on several occasions asking for help after the vehicle she was travelling in was shot at. She reached out to me from October 2023, ostensibly after that shooting, and continued to contact me into 2024. She was still asking for my help and protection, since I am in the security industry.
“I invite the state to confirm this aspect with the victim and advise it to refrain from suggesting that I contacted her, directly or indirectly, in any instance related to this case. Otherwise, it may later be alleged that I interfered with her during the course of this matter,” he said.
“I could not assist her because the matter was already under police investigation, and she had mentioned a number of individuals whom she suspected of being involved in ordering her shooting. I did not want to compromise the police investigations.
The bail application continues.
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