The South Gauteng High Court has ordered that alleged underworld figure Vusi “Cat” Matlala remain at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria and not be returned to the eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Centre in Kokstad, granting his legal team temporary but significant relief in an ongoing dispute over his detention conditions .
Matlala appeared before Judge Willem Karam on Thursday, 12 February 2026, where the court heard that Correctional Services had agreed to keep him at the Pretoria facility on an interim basis following his transfer from eBongweni at an unknown date . His lawyers had argued that incarceration at the KwaZulu-Natal super-maximum prison severely undermined his constitutional right to a fair trial, citing insurmountable logistical barriers to consulting with counsel and reviewing extensive case evidence .
Court Orders Unobstructed Consultations
Delivering his ruling, Judge Karam directed the head of Kgosi Mampuru C-Max to actively facilitate consultations between Matlala and his legal representatives. The court ordered that correctional authorities make available a consultation room where counsel and the accused “can physically sit together with no obstruction, speak to each other with no obstruction, and pass documents to each other with no obstruction” .
The order takes effect from 16 to 17 February 2026, with the matter postponed to 26 February for continuation of the pre-trial conference .
Matlala’s advocate, Anneline van den Heever, had previously described consultation conditions at eBongweni as untenable, telling the court in January that her client was forced to sit behind thick glass where “you can barely hear each other with people around you listening” and that consultations were routinely recorded . She argued the arrangement made effective trial preparation impossible .
Transfer History and Security Dispute
Matlala was abruptly transferred from Kgosi Mampuru to eBongweni on 21 December 2025, a move the Department of Correctional Services justified on security grounds following a risk assessment it has refused to disclose, citing confidentiality . The department previously stated the transfer would not prejudice Matlala’s legal rights .
The defence has consistently maintained the placement appeared punitive rather than preventative. Van den Heever informed the court on 6 February that two formal letters requesting Matlala’s return to Gauteng—sent on 15 January and 3 February—went unanswered by Correctional Services National Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale . The National Prosecuting Authority has declined to intervene, stating it is satisfied with correctional services’ undertakings that court attendance and legal processes would proceed without hindrance .
Pending Bail Application
Matlala is preparing a fresh bail application based on what his legal team describes as “new facts,” including the impact of his detention conditions on trial preparation . This would mark his third attempt at release; his previous bail application was dismissed in October 2025 .
Charges and Co-Accused
Matlala and his four co-accused—his wife Tsakane Matlala, alleged hitmen Musa Kekana and Tiego Floyd Mabusela, and Mabusela’s daughter Nthabiseng Nzama—face 25 charges, including 11 counts of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud, money laundering, and defeating the ends of justice .
The charges stem from three alleged botched hits between August 2022 and January 2024, including an October 2023 shooting targeting Matlala’s ex-girlfriend, socialite Tebogo Thobejane, on the N1 near Sandton, as well as plots against taxi operator Joe Sibanyoni and DJ Seunkie “DJ Vettys” Mokubung .
The State further alleges Matlala laundered over R120,000 connected to the murder plots and submitted fraudulent invoices to conceal the funds’ origin . He is also implicated in the Thembisa Hospital corruption scandal, with the Special Investigating Unit revealing he benefited from at least R13 million through procurement deals .
While Tsakane Matlala and Nzama were granted bail of R20,000 and R10,000 respectively, Kekana and Mabusela withdrew their bail applications and remain in custody alongside Matlala .
Limits of Thursday’s Ruling
Thursday’s court order does not constitute a final determination on the lawfulness of Matlala’s transfer to eBongweni. Judge Karam has previously noted that the High Court is not the appropriate forum to resolve prison placement disputes and encouraged the defence to seek urgent relief through a separate legal process . The Department of Correctional Services has not indicated whether it intends to return Matlala to Kokstad following the interim arrangement.
