WATCH | NPA vows to oppose Cat Matlala's bid to appeal bail refusal judgment

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it is preparing to oppose Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala's application to appeal the Alexandra judgment which denied him bail last week.

On Tuesday, Matlala appeared at the Alexandra magistrate's court alongside his wife, Tsakani, where they face an attempted murder charge related to the attempt on the life of Matlala's ex girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane.

We believe that this court was not misdirected, whether in law of factually, so we will be opposing this application

—  Phindi Mjonondwane, NPA spokesperson

“We can confirm as the NPA that we received their motion which intends to appeal the judgment of the Alexandra magistrate's court that denied him bail.

“Furthermore as the state, we can indicate that we are in the process of preparing to oppose this application. We believe that this court was not misdirected, whether in law of factually, so we will be opposing this application,” said NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane.

Mjonodwane also said that they are waiting for a decision from the national director of public prosecutions to centralise two matters out of the seven that they intend to further charge Matlala with.

“There are two dockets, one from Pretoria (West) and one from Lyttleton, that we want to centralise together with this matter.

“So, that process is ongoing. The director of public prosecution in Pretoria gave consent for the two matters to be centralised and thereafter forwarded the docket to the office of the national director of public prosecutions for further consideration.

“We are hoping that by November 11 the processes will be finalised,” she said.

Other accused that Matlala appeared along are Musa Kekana, Tiego Floyd Mabusela, and Nthabiseng Nzama, who is Mabusela’s daughter.

Matlala is currently in custody for the attempted murder of Thobejane, who reportedly fled the country in fear for her life following the attack.

At the time, Thobejane was travelling with a friend when their car was sprayed with bullets. While Thobejane sustained a foot injury, her friend was hospitalised for months due to a spinal cord injury.

Police later said an AK-47 and two pistols that were allegedly found in the possession of Tau, Kekana, and Mabusela in April 2024 have since been linked to at least 18 crime scenes, including the murder of musician and nightclub owner Oupa “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka and his two bodyguards.

The firearms were found after the assassination of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, who had allegedly flagged an irregular tender.

The matter has been postponed to November 11 for the state to formally apply for the centralisation of all seven cases.

During Madlanga commission, which is probing allegations of criminality and political interference in the criminal justice system, it was revealed that Matlala is a member of a cartel called the “Big Five”.

It is reported that the cartel specialises with drug distribution both locally and internationally, contract killings and cross-boarder hijackings among other things.

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