WATCH | Judge grants consultation access for ‘Cat’ Matlala’s lawyers

Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s legal team has raised concerns about access to their client ahead of his pre-trial consultations at Kgosi Mampuru Prison.

The lawyers say conditions are restrictive and risk delaying preparations in a case involving voluminous evidence and expert reports.

Matlala, alongside his wife Tsakane Matlala and alleged hitmen Musa Kekana, Tiego Floyd Mabusela and his daughter Nthabiseng Nzama, appeared in the Johannesburg high court on Thursday to agree to a pre-trial date over their alleged involvement in the attempted murder of Matlala’s girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane.

February 26 was agreed on by the parties.

However, Matlala’s lawyer, Anneline van den Heever, requested permission from the court to consult Matlala in the court cells.

“The consultations there [Kgosi Mampuru] are very tight and you have people around you the whole time, unlike downstairs in the consultation rooms where, when you have thick dockets, you can slip them under the barbed wire there.

“So I ask the court to allow for my client [Matlala] to be brought back here on Monday to finalise consultations, because the expert informed me that, given that it is a very costly exercise, we need to ascertain certain aspects from the client [Matlala].

“This means we need to sit down with him, show him what we have, take instructions, and then compare that with the reports,” she said.

Judge William Karam ordered the prison to allow Monday and Tuesday for consultation.

Van den Heever said that due to the amount of information they have to get through, Matlala may not be ready for the pre-trail hearing on February 26.

“We have also received the hard drive from the state, and it has already been confirmed that we are now able to open it. It consists of one terabyte [so] I believe it is going to be a long consultation with the client.

“At least when it comes to the expert issues, we can sit with him, have direct contact, show him his material, pass documents to him to read, and allow him to give us proper instructions.

“If we foresee that we will not be ready, I have indicated from my side that the moment we realise this, we will inform everyone that we cannot proceed with the pretrial,” she said.

However, Karam said the court would proceed even if Matlala was not ready.

“This court will still ensure that the accuseds’ rights are respected. Accused numbers one, two, four and five are scheduled for February 26,” he said.

The state did not oppose the consultation request.

Matlala was last month abruptly moved to the eBongweni Super Maximum facility in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal, after a threat assessment that suggested he was colluding with prison staff at Kgosi Mampuru.

He was subsequently returned to Kgosi Mampuru II in Pretoria to comply with a court order ensuring he could consult his legal team and attend his trial.

Sowetan