News24 | Vusimusi ‘Cat’ Matlala transferred to supermax facility in Kokstad

Controversial businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala.

• Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala has been transferred to the eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Centre in Kokstad.
• Matlala became a household name after he was placed at the centre of allegations of police capture by KwaZulu-Natal top cop Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
• News24 first revealed that Matlala scored millions in tainted contracts from Tembisa Hospital, first flagged by murdered whistleblower Babita Deokaran, as part of a R2.3-billion extraction scheme.

Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala has been moved to a supermax facility in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal, the Department of Correctional Services said on Tuesday.

Matlala was transferred from Kgosi Mampuru C-Max prison to the eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Centre on 21 December.

Department spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said the move formed part of their standard operational practices.

“The transfer of remand detainees and sentenced offenders between correctional facilities is a standard operational practice, informed by a range of considerations, primarily security, safety, operational requirements, and effective inmate management across the correctional system,” Nxumalo said.

Nxumalo said the department was committed to maintaining safe, secure, and humane correctional facilities while ensuring the delivery of rehabilitation and care programmes.

“The safety and security of detainees, officials, and the broader correctional environment remain paramount. Where enhanced security measures are required, these considerations take precedence. It must be emphasised that the transfer of a detainee does not prejudice their legal rights or access to services,” Nxumalo said.

LISTEN | The Lead: Jeff Wicks tells us how Vusimusi Matlala became the ‘Cat’

Matlala became a household name after he was placed at the centre of allegations of police capture by KwaZulu-Natal top cop Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Whistleblower Babita Deokaran flagged his alleged involvement in the Tembisa Hospital looting in the weeks leading up to her assassination.

Matlala was arrested earlier this year for the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend Tebogo Thobejane.

A News24 investigation, titled 9 Lives, delved into Matlala’s business empire, and how he has targeted state procurement.

The investigation first revealed that Matlala scored millions in tainted contracts from Tembisa Hospital, first flagged by Deokaran, as part of a R2.3-billion extraction scheme.

It exposed how Matlala, using a shelf company run from a Boksburg strip mall, scored a R360-million police health services tender while under investigation for Tembisa Hospital procurement fraud.