By Johnathan Paoli
Alleged crime kingpin Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala has withdrawn from his plea and sentence agreement with the state after refusing to accept a 12-year effective prison term proposed by the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, sending the high-profile SAPS tender corruption case back to the drawing board.
The matter was postponed to 11 September 2026, with Magistrate Ignatius du Preez confirming that the plea agreement was now null and void and that Matlala would remain behind bars pending further proceedings.
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Addressing the accused in court, du Preez sought confirmation that the decision to withdraw had been made voluntarily.
“Mr. Matlala, I’ve been informed by counsel on your behalf in respect of yourself, accused 2 and 3, that it is your choice to withdraw from the plea and sentence agreement as you decline to accept the court’s recommended sentence. Do you confirm in respect of yourself that is the position?” he asked.
After Matlala confirmed the position, the magistrate formally removed the plea agreement from the proceedings.
“It is in order for the prosecution and defence to determine the way forward in the matter as the plea and sentence agreement has now been declared null and void. You will remain in custody,” du Preez said.
The withdrawal follows the court previously rejecting the negotiated plea agreement between the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Matlala, under which he would have served an effective eight-year prison sentence in exchange for pleading guilty and becoming a state witness.
Instead, du Preez found that the proposed sentence failed to reflect the seriousness of the offences and proposed a sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment.
Under Section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act, once either party rejects a court’s proposed amendment to a plea and sentence agreement, the agreement falls away and the matter must continue through the ordinary criminal process.
Matlala had previously pleaded guilty to seven charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering arising from the fraudulent R228.6 million SAPS-Medicare24 health services tender awarded to his company.
As part of the now-defunct agreement, he had also undertaken to testify against senior police officials allegedly implicated in the corruption scheme.
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Speaking to the media after the postponement, NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed that the investigation would continue.
“Nothing in that plea can be used, therefore we get to continue with our investigation at IDAC side,” Kganyago said.
“We will ask for the court to rejoin him as accused one in the other case so that he can be tried. Because by not accepting the plea he is basically saying, ‘I will want to go full force with the trial’. That is what is going to happen,” he added.
