Madlanga Commission
1Min
South Africa
Nov 25, 2025
The legal team representing Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has written to the chairperson of Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee, Hon Soviet Lekganyane, raising urgent concerns about the limited time they say was provided to prepare for their client’s testimony.
The legal team representing Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has written to the chairperson of Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee, Hon Soviet Lekganyane, raising urgent concerns about the limited time they say was provided to prepare for their client’s testimony.
Matlala was scheduled to appear before the committee this week at the Kgoši Mampuru Correctional Centre in Tshwane where three key witnesses will give evidence as part of the inquiry into allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
In a letter dated 25 November 2025, Abrams Madira Inc, acting on behalf of Matlala, said they had been instructed to address the committee about “the adequate time period given to Matlala and his legal team to prepare for the Ad Hoc Committee proceedings”.
They emphasised that the correspondence was not intended to deal with evidence to be presented but to raise issues relating to preparation time, adding that the matter remained sub judice and that Matlala “reserves his rights to raise any issue or claim at a later stage and at an appropriate forum”.
The attorneys said the volume of documents and affidavits provided to them made it “virtually impossible for Matlala to be ready to adduce evidence”, especially given “the dire circumstances of his detention with its own shortcomings and restrictions”.
They said attempts to consult with him inside the C-Max section of the prison had become “an absolute nightmare”, citing poor network coverage, inadequate facilities and an environment not conducive to lengthy or productive consultations.
According to the letter, Matlala’s incarceration has also affected his wellbeing. “The detention of Matlala in the C-Max Prison has negatively affected our client health and mental capacity,” the attorneys wrote.
They said these concerns had previously been raised during his bail application and that during a consultation on Monday, “we could pick up that he no longer comprehends some of the issues and we have noticed that he seemed disorientated”.
The legal team asked the committee to postpone the hearing to allow them more time to consult with Matlala and complete his affidavit. They argued that his participation in the proceedings would only be meaningful if he had an opportunity to prepare properly and that he had consistently cooperated with the evidence leaders “with grave difficulty as he does not have access to any documents, laptops and making telephonic contact with person who has some of the document needed”.
“In light of the above, we humbly request that the proceedings which are scheduled to take place tomorrow be postponed to a future date, so that we are able to consult and advise our client accordingly to his best interest,” the attorneys said.
They warned that if they did not receive a written undertaking from the committee by 3pm on Tuesday, they would launch an urgent application to postpone Matlala’s evidence. “Please note that all our clients rights and remedies remains strictly reserved,” they wrote.
Matlala is one of three witnesses scheduled to appear before the committee this week. Parliament announced on Saturday that the Ad Hoc Committee investigating Mkhwanazi’s allegations would sit in Gauteng “to ensure the safety and security of all parties involved in the investigation”. In addition to Matlala, the committee will hear from the SAPS Chief Financial Officer and the Deputy National Commissioner for Policing, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane.
