By Mapaballo Borotho
- A Pretoria magistrate has rejected the eight-year sentence proposed in Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s plea deal, saying it is too lenient for the crimes committed.
- The court instead proposed an effective 12-year prison sentence and gave both parties time to decide whether to accept the revised terms or abandon the agreement.
- Matlala had agreed to testify against senior police officials as part of the original plea deal.
Alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala could spend significantly more time behind bars after the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court rejected the eight-year effective sentence contained in his plea agreement with the State.
Matlala appeared before Magistrate Ignatius du Preez on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, after pleading guilty to fraud, corruption and money laundering linked to the controversial Medicare24 tender.
As part of the plea agreement, Matlala agreed to become a State witness against senior police officials implicated in the corruption scandal in exchange for a reduced sentence.
However, Magistrate du Preez ruled that the effective eight-year sentence agreed to by the State and Matlala was not appropriate given the seriousness of the offences.
He instead proposed an effective 12-year prison sentence.
The magistrate then adjourned proceedings for 30 minutes to allow the State and the defence to decide whether to accept the proposed sentence or abandon the plea agreement.
Explaining his decision, du Preez said corruption has robbed South Africans of economic growth, employment opportunities, functioning public institutions and proper service delivery.
“It has contributed directly to failing infrastructure, collapsing institutions and widespread poverty.
“These offences were committed out of greed and for no other reason,” the magistrate said.
Du Preez also rejected the argument that Matlala’s cooperation should substantially reduce his sentence, saying he only agreed to expose others once it became clear that investigators were closing in on him.
The magistrate proposed the following sentence:
- 15 years’ imprisonment for fraud, with seven years suspended.
- 10 years for corruption.
- 10 years for money laundering, with eight years to run concurrently with the fraud sentence.
This would result in an effective 12-year prison sentence, which is four years longer than the sentence proposed in the plea agreement.
The court also ruled that Matlala should remain unfit to possess a firearm.
It is now up to Matlala and the State to decide whether to accept the tougher sentence or withdraw from the plea agreement altogether.
Matlala is currently being held as a high-risk inmate in the C-Max section of the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre.
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