Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and His Wife Tsakani Appear in Court for Tebogo Thobejane’s Attempted Murder

• Vusi Matlala appeared in the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court alongside his wife and two others for the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane
• Thobejane, a former actress and socialite, was shot at during an October 2023 drive-by attack in Sandton. She told Briefly News how hard it was to face the people she was with that night
• Matlala was recently linked to several top government and police officials, including Minister Senzo Mchunu

Controversial businessman Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala, his wife Tsakani Matlala, and two others have appeared before the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court for the attempted murder of Vusi's ex-girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane.

Vusi Matlala, who was taken into police custody in May 2025 for allegedly orchestrating a hit on the former actress and media personality, appeared in court on Friday, 11 July 2025.

The popular tenderpreneur has been making headlines and charting social media trends after General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi mentioned his name during his explosive media briefing last Sunday. General Mkhwanazi revealed that Matlala had links to top government officials and police officials, including Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.

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What you need to know about allegations against Matlala

Cat Matlala and his wife, Tsakani, allegedly hired hitmen to kill actress Tebogo Thobejane. Thobejane narrated that the incident happened in October 2023 when she was driving home from a club in Sandton.

The former Muvhango star said a car stopped next to her BMW and fired a hail of bullets at her, shooting her in the foot and injuring her passengers. Thobejane said she has been living in fear since the incident happened.

According to eNCA, Matlala and his co-accused's attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder cases will be transferred to the Johannesburg High Court.

News24 also added that the state was planning on centralising two other charges against the businessman, one from Pretoria West and another from Lyttleton. Matlala's attempted murder case was postponed to August.

Briefly News journalist Jessica Gcaba spoke to Tebogo Thobejane, who shared that apart from the emotional trauma that she endured, facing the people who were there when the incident happened also weighed heavily on her.

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"I had to find the strength to express how sorry I am to their families. Having to live with the pain that they were affected by, because of a situation tied to me. It's something that stays with me every day."

Who is Vusi Matlala?

Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala is a tenderpreneur who allegedly has strong ties with the government and police. The businessman has been accused of several murders and operating dodgy businesses, but has managed to evade the law because of his strong ties with the top brass in the SAPS.

Matlala reportedly secured a R360 million SAPS tender with zero qualifications. The issue was flagged by Babita Deokaran, a whistleblower who was later murdered for reporting the corruption. The police also confirmed that several unlicensed firearms and luxury items, including a Rolex, were discovered at his properties after police raids.

He operated a blue-light cavalcade used for school runs and airport trips.

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Controversial entertainment blogger Musa Khawula also linked Matlala to DJ Sumbody's murder in a resurfaced post making rounds on social media. Cat Matlala was recently found with a phone in his prison cell after a raid at the jail.

MaMkhize cleared of links to Vusi "Cat" Matlala

Meanwhile, Briefly News reported that reality TV star and entrepreneur Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize trended on social media after she was linked to Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

This was after the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, said that the guns recovered by police during a raid at MaMkhize's La Lucia mansion in November 2024 allegedly belonged to 'Cat' Matlala's private security company.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News