By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Pretoria Magistrate Court has rejected a plea agreement recommending a 15-year prison sentence for underworld kingpin Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala.
Matlala entered into a plea agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and was placed on record.
He made a brief appearance in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday, 01 July 2026.
Matlala stands accused of playing a central role in alleged irregularities surrounding a controversial multi-million-rand SAPS tender awarded to his company, Medicare24 Tshwane District.
The contract has been mired in allegations of corruption, fraud and improper influence.
His appearance in court follows the separation of his matter from that of his co-accused, paving the way for the plea and sentence agreement to be considered independently.
In terms of the agreement, Matlala was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, suspended for seven years. His companies, Cat VIP Protection and Medicare Tshwane, were each fined R1-million.
The agreement lies in Matlala’s commitment to testify for the State against police officers and other accused implicated in the alleged tender-rigging scheme.
Magistrate Ignatius du Preez told the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court that the effective eight years the state and Matlala had agreed on did not fit the crime, and read out an effective 12 years as the sentence he considered just.
He then stood the matter down for 30 minutes for the defence and state to decide whether to accept the heavier sentence or walk away from the deal.
When the court resumed, Du Preez postponed the case to July 13.
This was after being told the parties were still in discussions over the sentence.
“Corruption has robbed South Africans of economic growth, jobs, functioning public services and public trust,” Du Preez said.
“It has contributed directly to failing infrastructure, collapsing institutions and widespread poverty.
“These offences were committed out of greed and for no other reason.”
Matlala had pleaded guilty last week in a deal that would see him turn state witness against senior police officers in exchange for a reduced sentence.
But Du Preez rejected the argument that his willingness to cooperate showed genuine remorse.
“I view the accused’s willingness to assist the authorities as a bargaining tool aimed at securing a more lenient sentence,” Du Preez said.
He said Matlala had come forward only after he was already in custody on another matter.
“Accused’s willingness to cooperate with the authorities followed only after his arrest, and upon realising the authorities were onto him,” he said.
The magistrate said the responsibility for exposing corruption did not lie with the accused.
“The duty to investigate and prosecute those who corrupt the institution of state rests upon the SA Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority, and not upon the accused,” Du Preez said.
“The fact that Accused 1 holds evidence against high-ranking officials cannot come at the cost of justice. Nor may Accused 1’s cooperation be used to purchase a sentence that fails to reflect his own criminality.”
Du Preez said he was not convinced that the state’s case against other suspects depended on Matlala’s help.
He said he knew of no high-profile accused who had signed such a deal and then actually begun testifying, and questioned whether plea bargains were delivering justice.
Under the sentence Du Preez proposed, Matlala would be jailed for 15 years for fraud, with seven suspended, and handed 10 years each for the corruption and money-laundering counts, of which eight years would run concurrently with the fraud sentence.
Meanwhile the South African Police Service (Saps) has dismissed Brigadier Rachel Matjeng from her position with effect from 30 June 2026.
The dismissal follows the conclusion of an internal disciplinary process in which Brigadier Matjeng was found guilty on multiple counts of serious misconduct arising from her relationship with Matlala.