MBABANE – South Africa’s High Court has confirmed that attempted murder accused Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala used a fraudulent Eswatini ID.
The revelation was contained in the judgment issued by the High Court of South Africa, which endorsed the denial of bail for the high-profile businessman. Acting Judge PJ Du Plessis, of the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, noted in his October 27 ruling that the prosecution was unaware if the police investigating team had the original document.
The prosecution’s evidence relied on a WhatsApp message sent on March 18 from Matlala’s phone, requesting his wife (Accused 4) to send a photo of his Eswatini ID card.The judge stated: “Official records reflect that this identity card, which displays the name Vusimuzi Dlamini, is not only irregularly issued and fraudulent, but was also used for departing to Eswatini in February and on April 19, 2024, ‘on foot,’ with no record of return after April 19, 2024.”
Matlala, the appellant, denied the existence of the Eswatini ID card, arguing in court that the police had planted the picture on his phone. He claimed he used his passport to enter and return from Eswatini on April 19 and 20, 2024, respectively. The court noted that the ID card reflects his birth date and carries his picture, but the police could never find the original.
Matlala, a 48-year-old married man supporting nine children, faces charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud and attempting to defeat the ends of justice. The charges stem from alleged events in Johannesburg between October 12 and 17, 2023, during which the accused allegedly conspired to kill Tebogo Thobejane.
His application for bail was dismissed by the Regional Magistrates Court because he failed to satisfy the court on a balance of probabilities that exceptional circumstances existed to justify his release. This finding was based on the court’s view that:
- He was a flight risk, partly due to the Eswatini ID and being found with an unlawful cellphone in prison.
- He did not dispel the risk of interfering with witnesses or obstructing justice.
- The nature of the offences demonstrates a clear danger to community safety.
The State submitted evidence of financial transactions allegedly linking Matlala to the crime. This included bank statements showing Matlala transferred R20 000 and R15 000 to Accused 5’s account on October 12, 2023. Critically, R100 000 was transferred on October 18, 2023 (the day after the shooting), of which R50 000 was subsequently moved to Accused 2’s account.
The State alleges this was payment/funding for the shooting. Matlala argued that the evidence against him is circumstantial and will not withstand constitutional challenges at trial.The court dismissed his appeal, finding that the interest of justice would not be served by his release.The businessman is self-employed as a director of four companies that pay 94 employees nearly R2 million in wages per month. He has movable and immovable assets exceeding R13 million and a foreign trust in Mauritius, which the State alleges he initially concealed.
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