Tsakane Matlala, wife of Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, was arrested on Tuesday 22 September 2026 on fraud charges relating to properties across Gauteng. Picture supplied
Cat Matlala wife Tsakane Matlala was arrested on Tuesday 22 September 2026 on fraud charges. Police arrested her alongside three other suspects in various locations across Gauteng. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed the charges. She said the arrests relate to “fraud and corruption on a number of cases which relates to the fraudulent acquiring of properties across Gauteng.”
Investigators allege Tsakane falsified bank statements to help her husband secure a fraudulent R95,000 lease agreement for a Waterkloof property. The scheme also allegedly involved an eSwatini identity document. Moreover, authorities are investigating her role in fraudulent citizenship documentation connected to the Kingdom of ESwatini. All four suspects appear in Pretoria Magistrates Court on Wednesday 23 September 2026.
The arrest brings a fresh legal crisis to the Matlala family at an already turbulent time. Tsakane and her husband Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala currently face 25 separate charges in the Johannesburg High Court. Eleven of those charges involve attempted murder. The state links those charges to three shooting incidents between August 2022 and January 2024. Two co-accused face the same charges alongside the couple.
Cat Matlala Trial Heard State Allege He Bankrolled Three Attempted Assassinations
Furthermore, the attempted murder trial opened in July 2026. The state alleged Cat Matlala bankrolled three separate attempted assassinations. Both he and Tsakane pleaded not guilty when proceedings began. The case drew significant public attention given Matlala’s profile as a business tycoon and the gravity of the charges.
In addition, Tuesday’s arrests show prosecutors are pursuing multiple investigations against the Matlala family at the same time. The fraud charges Tsakane now faces are entirely separate from the attempted murder case. Consequently, she now faces proceedings in two different courts. Her three co-accused in the fraud matter have not been publicly named at this stage.
As a result, South Africans reacted to the news with significant public interest. The National Prosecuting Authority had not yet issued a statement on Tuesday’s arrests at the time of publication. However, further developments are expected when the matter comes before the Pretoria Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning.