Madlanga Commission Chairperson, retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has postponed alleged cartel member Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala’s appearance before the commission to the first of September.
Madlanga earlier challenged Matlala’s lawyer as to why the commission cannot proceed with evidence on matters that would not infringe on his constitutional right against self-incrimination.
JUST IN: Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s bid to postpone his testimony is granted to 1 September 2026. Matlala’s lawyers relied on his Sec. 35 rights (fundamental rights of accused persons) to advance this bid ahead of Matlala’s trial for the attempted murder of his ex-gf #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/ReKejBxYCX
— Canny Maphanga (@CannyMaphanga) July 15, 2026
Matlala’s counsel, Annelene van den Heever, argued that his testimony should be postponed because he is due to stand trial next week on attempted murder charges of for his former girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane.
Van den Heever has relied on Section 35 of the Constitution, arguing that compelling Matlala to testify could prejudice his criminal case, particularly on issues arising from his plea agreement with the state.
In a heated exchange, Justice Madlanga questioned why the commission could not hear evidence on issues unrelated to the criminal trial or the plea deal, saying there were matters that could be ventilated without infringing on Matlala’s constitutional rights.
“I’m looking at the broader question of on those issues on which there is no question whatsoever which can be dealt with by this commission and you’ve agreed that there are. On those questions … why can’t those questions be heard before the criminal process has been finalised? Whether even accepting as you argue that there are some issues coming out of the plea deal which fall under the section 35 basket.”
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