Tenderpreneur Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala’s legal representatives have threatened to interdict the parliament’s ad hoc committee hearing, where Matlala is expected to appear.
Matlala’s lawyers have written to the committee, requesting a postponement of his hearing, scheduled for Wednesday at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria, citing difficulties in consulting with their client to properly prepare him for the hearing.
In a letter which TimesLIVE has seen, addressed to the committee chair, Soviet Lekganyane, the legal team highlighted several issues, including:
- Insufficient time to prepare and consult with Matlala.
- Difficulties consulting with Matlala in prison as poor facilities make communication difficult.
- Negative impact on Matlala’s health and mental capacity due to his detention, further emphasising the need to postpone the proceedings.
“Our legal team has raised concerns regarding the time they needed to prepare our client for these proceedings, and that certain time frames were not achievable,” legal team member Matlhatsi Abram Madira said in the letter.
“The sheer amount of documents and affidavits provided made it virtually impossible for Matlala to be ready to adduce evidence, coupled with the dire circumstances of his detention with its own shortcomings and restrictions.”
Madira said consulting had become “an absolute nightmare.”
“We at times experience difficulties with the network coverage in C Max, and the infrastructure in C Max is not conducive to having a productive consultation, as there are no proper facilities. The building itself is not user-friendly [enough] to enable us to consult for a long enough time and meet the deadline of tomorrow.”
The lawyers said Matlala was willing to participate in the proceedings but was hindered by factors such as a lack of access to necessary documents, a laptop and a cellphone. They argued that these factors made it difficult to gather the facts required to compile his evidence statement.
Matlala was arrested in May and is charged with multiple offences, including attempted murder and money laundering. He is being held at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre, where his evidence was scheduled to be heard.
“The detention of Matlala in the C Max Prison has negatively affected our client’s health and mental capacity. This is an issue which was also raised during his bail application.
“During our consultation with Matlala yesterday, we could pick up that he no longer comprehends some of the issues, and we have noticed that he seemed disoriented. We have been instructed by the client that his mental capacity is being negatively affected by his incarceration and detention.”
The ad hoc committee was given until 3pm on Tuesday to respond to the letter. The legal team warned that failure to respond would result in them proceeding with an urgent application to have Matlala’s evidence postponed until they can properly consult with him.
ActionSA MP Dareleen James said the committee had decided to proceed with the hearing as planned.
“Mr Matlala must not waste our time. The era of treating parliament with such disrespect will come to an end. He must show up,” said James.
Parliament is yet to comment on the matter.
Proceedings are continuing, with evidence by SAPS chief financial officer Lt-Gen Puleng Dimpane.
TimesLIVE
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