By Johnathan Paoli
Controversial businessman and attempted murder accused Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala will stand trial separately from his co-accused in the corruption and fraud case linked to the R228 million South African Police Service (SAPS) Medicare24 tender, in a move that has fuelled speculation he could soon become a State witness.
Appearing briefly before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, the State successfully applied to separate Matlala’s matter from that of the remaining accused, including suspended National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and several senior police officials.
Matlala is now expected to appear before the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on Thursday, where the Investigative Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) is expected to present the outcome of negotiations with him.
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National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed that discussions between prosecutors and Matlala’s legal team had progressed but declined to confirm whether a formal plea and sentence agreement had been reached.
“I can’t say there is one or not [plea agreement], it is not that you just agree between the two parties and sign. The magistrate has to sit, apply their mind and agree to that,” Kganyago said.
Explaining why the matter had been separated, Kganyago said logistical issues surrounding the negotiations had delayed proceedings.
“It’s just the logistical issues that were happening here in the court, and that’s why it was taking so long to negotiate everything. But now we have sent our team to the SCCU [Specialised Commercial Crime Unit] to secure the court for tomorrow, and they have agreed to do that,” he said.
“Therefore, now that he has been separated, it means we can proceed with what we wanted to do with him tomorrow,” he added
Kganyago said the prosecution had from the outset sought to keep Matlala in Pretoria while negotiations continued.
“The issue is that it was very clear, even from the beginning. It was in open court where we said that we wanted to negotiate with him, and we also wanted him to be here [in a Pretoria prison] rather than in Kokstad. That’s where the negotiations were happening. Unfortunately, until the matter is made an order of court, we can’t say ‘we have or we don’t have’,” he said.
Matlala had remained at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria after opting not to apply for bail instead of being returned to eBongweni Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, where he had previously been held.
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The separation of the trial has intensified speculation that Matlala could plead guilty and testify against other accused in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Before Wednesday’s separation, Matlala was part of a case involving 17 accused. Matlala and several others face fraud, corruption and money-laundering charges, while Masemola faces PFMA-related charges linked to the same tender.
The tender, initially awarded in June 2024, was budgeted at about R360 million, but the bid awarded to Medicare24 was about R228 million.
Investigators found that at least R50 million had already been paid before the contract was cancelled in May 2025.
