Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala has abandoned his bail application in a Pretoria fraud case over an allegedly fraudulent lease on a luxury Waterkloof Heights property, his lawyer said on Wednesday 14 October.

Matlala's lawyer, Simon Ramalamula, said the application was dropped because the State intends to oppose his release. He said the defence will first deal with the Johannesburg matter and then reapply for bail. Matlala is presumed innocent. This story is developing.

What happened in court

The bail application was expected to run for two days. Matlala is in custody at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre, according to published reports.

One report says the matter was postponed to 29 October for further investigation. Another says his three co-accused, each granted R20,000 bail earlier, return on 29 October, and that the Johannesburg matter is expected to resume on 2 November. We have not reconciled these accounts.

The charges

The State alleges that Matlala, his wife Tsakane, Given Makofane and Claudette Masethe acted with a common purpose in January 2025 to falsify documents to secure a lease on a Waterkloof Heights property at R95,000 a month. They face charges of fraud, forgery and uttering. Matlala also faces a charge of contravening the Identification Act, linked to an allegedly forged Eswatini identity document. Reports say the State also alleges falsified bank statements were used.

The allegations have not been tested in court, and the accused are presumed innocent.

Other cases Matlala faces

According to published reports, Matlala faces charges in four criminal cases. In the Johannesburg High Court he and his wife are on trial with three others on 25 counts of attempted murder linked to alleged murder-for-hire plots between 2022 and 2024. The coverage we reviewed does not carry his plea in these cases, and we have not confirmed it.

What we do not yet know

  • Which court date is correct: 29 October or 2 November.
  • The date and venue of the renewed bail application.
  • Matlala's plea in this case.
  • The identity of the two co-accused whose names we have not matched across reports (one report lists them as Given Makofane and Claudette Masethe; confirm with the court roll).