Keeping up with the Matlalas: Bail for Tsakane, charges and another court date for husband ‘Cat’ - IOL

Love in the dock: Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala and his wife Tsakane together in court this week. The couple had contrasting fortunes in their bail applications.

The legal travails of the Matlala couple took another turn this week as Tsakane Matlala was granted bail in a new fraud case, while her husband, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, remains in custody and made another brief appearance in the specialised commercial crime court.

The Matlalas are facing separate criminal proceedings involving allegations ranging from attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder, to fraud, money laundering and corruption linked to a multimillion-rand police tender.

Tsakane was granted R20,000 bail this week alongside her two co-accused, Given Makofane and Claudette Masethe, in a case involving alleged fraud relating to a Waterkloof property.

The State says that fraudulent documents were used to secure the property, which was reportedly rented for R95,000 a month.

Prosecutors have further alleged that Cat Matlala used the name Vusumuzi Dlamini and claimed links to the Eswatini royal family in connection with the property.

Those allegations have yet to be tested in court.

Tsakane, Makofane and Masethe were granted bail and the matter was postponed to October 29 for further investigation.

Cat Matlala did not apply for bail in that case because he is already in custody on other charges. His bail application in the new fraud matter is expected to be heard on October 14 and 15.

Matlala appeared briefly in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in connection with the long-running Medicare24 Tshwane District tender case.

The matter was postponed to September 29, when the case is expected to proceed with Matlala being brought back into the proceedings alongside his co-accused.

The case centres on a police healthcare contract worth about R228 million, which was awarded to Medicare24 Tshwane District, a company linked to Matlala.

He is expected to be joined by 14 other accused, including 13 police officers, in the broader case.

The State alleges that the contract was improperly awarded.

Matlala had previously entered into a plea-and-sentence agreement with the State in the tender matter, but that arrangement fell apart after the proposed sentence became contentious.

He had been prepared to accept an eight-year sentence, while the court indicated that an effective 12-year sentence could be appropriate.

He is now set to return to the main proceedings.

But the tender case is only one chapter in Matlala's growing legal troubles.

Matlala was also arrested for attempted murder and is facing a separate case in the Johannesburg High Court alongside Tsakane and other accused.

The State has brought a range of charges arising from alleged attacks between 2022 and 2024, including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud and money laundering.

The accused have pleaded not guilty and the allegations remain before the court.

That trial has also been postponed, with proceedings scheduled to resume on November 2.

For the Matlalas, this week's court appearances added another layer to an already sprawling legal saga.

Tsakane is out on bail in the latest fraud case, Cat remains in custody, with another commercial-crimes appearance already looming.

The Medicare24 case, the attempted-murder trial and the new fraud proceedings are all moving through different courts.