MBABANE – A fraudulent passport allegedly belonging to businessman Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala shows that he entered Eswatini twice, crossing the border on foot under the name of Dlamini and has not returned to SA.
State prosecutor Elize le Roux said this proves that Matlala is a flight risk and is not honest with the court in his bid for bail.
“This raises the question of what reason the applicant [Matlala] visits Eswatini for only one night each time. He apparently found it necessary to do so twice. Once in February and April 2024. This is again just another example of an aspect where the applicant is not playing open cards with this honourable court,” she said.
The passport, now linked to Matlala, shows that he travelled to Eswatini on February 11, 2024 and returned the following day, Le Roux said.
It also indicates that on April 19, he crossed into Eswatini on foot, with no record of his return to the country. Le Roux stated that they could prove the passport belonged to Matlala through cellphone conversations between him and his wife and co-accused, Tsakani. “On page 179/289 and 180/289 [Annexure HM9], she receives a request on March 18, 2025 from the applicant to forward him his Swati ID, because he deleted it on his side. She then responds by sending him the picture of the Eswatini identity document,” she said.
Matlala, known for his luxury lifestyle and ownership of Cat VIP Protection Services, is accused of orchestrating a hit on his ex-lover, actor Tebogo Thobejane, in a 2023 shooting near Sandton. A recent investigation by the Times of Eswatini uncovered that the Eswatini ID was issued under mysterious circumstances.
Additional information sourced from Sowetan
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