'Cat' Matlala to testify before Ad Hoc Committee after failed postponement request

Controversial businessman Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala will proceed to testify before the Ad Hoc Committee on Wednesday, following his lawyers’ recent request for a postponement. 

The request, submitted just a day prior to the scheduled testimony, cited various challenges that have hindered adequate preparation for the hearing, including the complexities surrounding Matlala's current detention.

Matlala’s lawyer, Matlhatsi Abram Madira, expressed grave concerns regarding the preparation process, highlighting that the time constraints and overwhelming volume of documents to be reviewed made it "virtually impossible" for Matlala to effectively adduce evidence.

"Our legal team have raised concerns regarding the adequate time which they needed to prepare our client for these proceedings, and that certain times frames were not achievable. The sheer amount of documents and affidavits that was provided made it virtually impossible for Mr Matlala to be ready to adduce evidence, coupled with the dire circumstances of his detention with its own shortcomings and restrictions.

"We want to draw your attention to the fact that consulting with Mr Matlala has become an absolute nightmare in prison. We at times experience difficulties with the network coverage in C Max and that the infrastructure in C max is not conducive to have a productive consultation as there are no proper facilities and the building itself is not user friendly to enable us to consult with him for a long time and meet the deadline of tomorrow.

"The detention of Mr Matlala in the C Max Prison has negatively affected our client health and mental capacity. This is an issue which was also raised during his bail application. During our consultation with Mr Matlala yesterday we could pick up that he no longer comprehends some of the issues and we have noticed that he seemed disorientated. We have been instructed by client that his mental capacity is negatively being affected by his incarceration and detention in the C max," Madira wrote in the letter.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria, where Matla is incarcerated, Ad hoc committee chair Soviet Lekganyane confirmed that Matlala will testify as planned.

The meeting has been moved to Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre to accommodate Matlala.

Lekganyane said when they first wrote to Matlala and informed him about testifying at the committee, he was "very, very, willing."

"We are here this week to feature Matlala in our proceedings, together with his representatives, they are available. The announcement we made is that they requested that we start at 11am tomorrow (Wednesday) which is something not unusual," he said. 

Matlala is expected to give a testify before the Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, involving claims of criminal infiltration, corruption, and political interference in the justice system.

The committee, established to investigate the allegations made by Mkhwanazi, is scheduled to hear evidence from three key witnesses in Gauteng this week.

On Tuesday, Correctional Services national spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said meticulous planning had gone into preparations for the committee’s sittings at the maximum-security facility.

“Remember, our mandate is to have facilities that are safe and secure, and to rehabilitate inmates in humane conditions. But we go even beyond that. When we host events, all of them have been incident-free. At no point will you find that our activities are disrupted due to poor planning," Nxumalo said in an interview with television broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.

“We are very meticulous. Even with this sitting of the Ad Hoc Committee, we have gone to great lengths to ensure that we give Parliament the best sitting — very comfortable — and they may even want to extend their time here.”

Nxumalo said MPs will be at the facility until Friday, and that limited space has been made available for members of the public who wish to attend the hearings.

Matlala, believed to be connected to fraudulent transactions in the Tembisa Hospital R2 billion 'looting', was arrested in April, for allegedly orchestrating the 2023 attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane and is currently in custody after being denied bail.

He is also believed to be at the forefront of the SAPS tenders allegedly manipulated to benefit criminal syndicates purportedly protected by senior political and police officials.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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