Prison official faces probe in ‘Cat’ Matlala transfer

The transfer of high-profile attempted murder suspect Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala to a “super max” jail in KwaZulu-Natal is alleged to have followed fears that at least one senior correctional services official in Pretoria might be too close to him.

“It was found that there seems to be links between the top official and Matlala,” a source in the department told the Sunday Times. “When Matlala was found with a cellphone last year, it seems he could have received it from a senior official. In addition, Matlala has been receiving too many visits at the [Pretoria] prison, since remand inmates have unlimited visits, unlike convicted inmates, so he had to be moved.”

Another source said the senior official was now under investigation.

But correctional services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo dismissed this account as false. “The allegations being suggested are without merit and have no factual basis. It must be respected that correctional services does not conduct sensitive security operations, and for security reasons, certain details cannot be disclosed publicly,” he said.

The tenderpreneur was transferred from the C-Max section of Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria to the super-maximum eBongweni facility in Kokstad on December 21. The department of correctional services only announced the transfer on Tuesday, saying it had been ordered as part of a “security assessment”.

One of the sources in the department said the fact that most of the guards at Kgosi Mampuru II were from Mamelodi — Matlala’s home turf — was a problem.

Many of the officials working at C-Max are from Mamelodi and that makes [Matlala] a security risk because he can easily get favours. This means the department doesn’t trust employed officials

—  Corrections department source

“Many of the officials working at C-Max are from Mamelodi and that makes [Matlala] a security risk because he can easily get favours. This means the department doesn’t trust employed officials,” he said.

Other sources in the department said Matlala was moved due to the possibility of attempts to kill him. Matlala himself is said to have feared someone might try to poison his food in jail.

“There was intel received that Matlala’s life was at risk, and that is why he had to be transferred,” one source said.

Another department insider said Matlala was in eBongweni’s hospital wing, where he was being isolated from other inmates for his own safety.

“He is kept in the hospital section and only EST [emergency services team members] and managers attend to him. We are unsure of the exact threat, but we were informed that one exists. He is not injured. It is safe, and it’s for him not to be involved with other inmates for security reasons.”

A warder at Kgosi Mampuru II prison said Matlala had asked prison staff to taste his food before he ate it. “Every day when his food is brought to him, he would ask the warder to take the first few bites before he eats it to assess if it’s poisoned. If a warder refuses to taste the food, then he wouldn’t eat it,” the prison warder told the Sunday Times.

Willem Els, a security specialist at the Institute for Security Studies, said the eBongweni prison was modern and secure with the necessary facilities to ensure no harm came to Matlala.

The safety and security of detainees, officials and the broader correctional environment remain paramount. Where enhanced security measures are required, these considerations take precedence

—  Singabakho Nxumalo, correctional services spokesperson

“It is more secure, and it has single cells,” Els said. “Inmates only have one hour a day for exercise without contact with other prisoners. While other prisons are full, this one is more controlled. For safety purposes, it makes more sense to move him there.”

Matlala is expected to appear in the Johannesburg high court on January 29.

Els said he could implicate many high-profile figures. “We don’t know what could come out in this case. He is highly valuable and could implicate a lot of people and cause havoc with the information he has on him once he goes to court and testifies. It could affect a lot of people.”

Nxumalo said the department would not discuss specific security reasons behind the decision to move Matlala, but such transfers enabled the department to “respond appropriately to security assessments and operational demands”.

“The safety and security of detainees, officials and the broader correctional environment remain paramount. Where enhanced security measures are required, these considerations take precedence,” Nxumalo said.

Matlala, his wife Tsakane and their co-accused Musa Kekana, Tiego Floyd Mabusela and Zandile Nthabiseng Nzama face 25 charges, including 11 of attempted murder, which stem from three separate shooting incidents between August 2022 and January 2024. One of those Matlala is accused of having tried to kill his former girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane.