Tenderpreneur Vusi “Cat” Matlala was suited and shorn of his greying beard when he appeared in a Johannesburg court on Friday in connection with an attempted hit on his ex-girlfriend.
His socialite wife Tsakani joined him the dock for the brief appearance as the case was adjourned until next month after the defence team asked for access to some sections of the evidence obtained by the state.
There was a heavy police presence in court and Matlala was wearing leg irons when he entered the courtroom from the holding cells.
His wife, dressed for court in a smart grey dress and oversized spectacles, was previously released on bail.
The couple and two others are on trial for the drive-by shooting of actress Tebogo Thobejane in October 2023 in Sandton. She escaped injury but a friend who was with her was badly wounded and in hospital for more than a month.
These clips from broadcast media show Matlala's different look on Friday compared to a previous court appearance:
In court on Friday, the state prosecutor, who cannot be named by order of the court, said that they are intending to "centralise two cases from Pretoria to the current case".
Matlala’s lawyers submitted an application to access section B and C of the state docket, saying they were only provided with section A of the docket.
The defence also argued that the state has not furnished them with the bank statement on which they are relying on for the case, nor all the cellphone records on which the state relied to charge Matlala with attempted murder.
The magistrate dismissed the application and ordered the state and the defence to communicate on proper disclosure of the docket's contents.
The case was remanded to August 26.
TimesLIVE
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