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By Anita Dangazele
- Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala confirmed in court that he is withdrawing from his plea and sentence agreement with the state.
- The matter has been postponed to 11 September 2026, with Matlala remaining in custody in the meantime.
Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has formally withdrawn from his plea deal with the state. His two co-accused companies withdrew alongside him.
The magistrate asked Matlala directly, through his lawyer, whether he was declining to accept the court’s recommended sentence and choosing to withdraw from the agreement. Matlala confirmed this himself in court. His two co-accused, referred to as accused two and three, also each confirmed the same.
With that, the magistrate declared the plea and sentence agreement null and void. The matter was postponed to 11 September 2026, to give the prosecution and defence time to decide how to proceed now that the deal has collapsed. Matlala will remain in custody until then.
Monday, 13 July, had been the deadline set by magistrate Ignatius du Preez for Matlala and the state to decide whether to accept a revised 12-year prison sentence, after du Preez rejected their original agreement of an effective eight years on 1 July. Du Preez found the shorter sentence too lenient for the seriousness of Matlala’s crimes.
Matlala pleaded guilty on 25 June to seven counts of fraud, corruption and money laundering, linked to a R360 million SAPS tender awarded to his company, Medicare24 Tshwane District. Under his original deal, he agreed to testify against senior police officers implicated alongside him, in exchange for the lighter sentence.
With the plea agreement now void, the National Prosecuting Authority has said it will not be able to use Matlala’s affidavit implicating other suspects. The matter now proceeds to a full trial, with prosecutors relying only on evidence gathered independently.
Image source: Supplied
This article has been updated.
