The crackdown on Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala by the Gauteng provincial organised crime unit was a masterclass in modern digital forensics and meticulous surveillance.
It all started on October 17 2023, in Bryanston, Johannesburg, when gunmen in a silver-grey VW Caddy opened fire on a BMW belonging to Matlala’s ex-girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane, wounding another person in the car.
The shooters raced off, but left a digital trail that investigators would eventually use to link the attack to Matlala.
While the evidence is still to be ventilated in court, the Sunday Times can exclusively reveal that the first major break came from analysing CCTV footage that was shot on the day of the shooting at the Morningside shopping centre — which showed the BMW.
In an affidavit, Sgt Ernest Sithole of the Gauteng organised crime unit says the footage also showed a VW Caddy, registration HV24DXGP — it turned out the plates were cloned — which was parked at the centre for several hours the same day. The cameras captured two men getting out of the van and walking into the mall.
Inside the mall, “the men are seen buying Vodacom airtime from Woolworths with voucher number 21646775771 … Musa Kekana was identified as the African male buying at Woolworths”, said Sithole.
The second man was identified as Tiego Floyd Mabusela, known as Danny.
“Telkom was subpoenaed and the results thereof show that [his cell number] was at the crime scene in Bryanston at the time of the shooting on October 17, as well as in Rivonia [where Thobejane had lunch that day], and Morningside shopping centre,” Sithole said.
The Caddy followed the BMW when it left the shopping centre.
Matlala, his wife Tsakane, Kekana, Mabusela and Zandile Nthabiseng Nzama face 25 charges, including 11 counts of attempted murder, arising from three separate shooting incidents between August 2022 and January 2024. Other charges include money laundering and fraud.
Telkom was subpoenaed and the results thereof show that [his cell number] was at the crime scene in Bryanston at the time of the shooting
— Sgt Ernest Sithole
Mabusela and Kekana are also accused of the attempted murders of taxi boss “Joe Ferrari” Sibanyoni and DJ Vettys.
The investigation gained significant momentum when Kekana was arrested for possession of a vehicle hijacked in April 2024. A digital forensic analyst downloaded the contents of his phone, revealing a mountain of incriminating WhatsApp messages and voice notes between him and Mabusela.
These messages provided a step-by-step timeline:
- The intent: On October 16, Mabusela sent a message asking, “So taba ya the Grand?” to which Kekana replied, “We going will follow her [Thobejane] out and work”.
- Targeting Thobejane: Later that day, Mabusela wrote, “Wish taba ya Thobejane e spanege iesh,” indicating his desire for the “work” regarding Thobejane to succeed.
- The surveillance: On the morning of October 17, the pair discussed their arrival times at the restaurant to monitor who Thobejane was with and what car she was using.
- The execution: Kekana sent Mabusela a pin-drop location of “The Grand” at 1.43pm. By late afternoon, they had apparently agreed to execute the attack at night.
The most critical link to Matlala was a voice note sent by Mabusela to Kekana on October 12, five days before the shooting. In the message, Mabusela suggested calling “Cat” to ask for work so they could make money.
Police matched the name “Cat” to Matlala, a director of Cat Protection & Security (CPS) and Medicare 24, through witness statements and profiling. A subpoena of financial records revealed a “pay-for-play” sequence that mirrored the WhatsApp conversations:
- Initial payment: On October 12, the same day as the “call Cat” voice note, CPS transferred R20,000 into an account belonging to Mabusela’s daughter.
- The payout: On October 18, the day after the shooting, Matlala’s company transferred an additional R100,000 to the same account. Both payments used the reference “Medicare 24”.
Thobejane told police she had been in a romantic relationship with Matlala. She alleged she had incriminating information against him, providing a motive for why he might want her eliminated.
This, combined with the CCTV footage, the cellphone tower data, the WhatsApp exchanges and the R120,000 financial trail, led to Matlala’s arrest.
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