Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s wife, Tsakane Matlala, has been arrested in Pretoria in connection with an investigation into an allegedly fraudulent lease agreement for a luxury mansion in Waterkloof Ridge.
Matlala was arrested on Tuesday and is being held at the Sunnyside police station, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.
Her arrest is linked to a controversial residential lease agreement reportedly worth R95,000 a month and involving a multi-million-rand property in the upmarket Pretoria suburb.
She is the second person to be arrested on Tuesday in connection with the investigation.
Earlier, a close associate of Matlala was arrested in Pretoria over allegations that he helped falsify financial documents used to secure the lease.
The Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) is investigating the matter.
The lease agreement was reportedly signed in January 2025 for a two-year period, with almost R1.2 million paid upfront for the first year.
Investigators are probing allegations that false documentation was used during the lease application process, including bank statements that allegedly did not accurately reflect the financial position of the applicant.
Sources said Matlala allegedly applied for the lease using an eSwatini identity document.
The investigation into the lease follows an operation by the PKTT in June, when the home of the close associate in Pretoria East was raided.
The associate was also taken in for questioning at the time and was later released.
According to information previously reported by eNCA, investigators were looking into allegations that the associate had allegedly forged bank statements to assist Matlala in securing the R95,000-a-month lease.
The latest arrests indicate that investigators have continued to pursue the alleged document fraud surrounding the property.
The exact charges against Tsakane Matlala following Tuesday’s arrest have not yet been confirmed, and it was not immediately clear when she would appear in court.
The arrest comes as Tsakane Matlala is already before the Johannesburg High Court alongside her husband and three other accused in a separate criminal case.
The five accused face 25 charges, including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud, money laundering and defeating the ends of justice. All five have pleaded not guilty.
The case relates to alleged plots targeting several people, including Matlala’s former partner, actress Tebogo Thobejane, taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and music producer Seunkie “DJ Vettys” Mokubung.
The High Court is currently dealing with a trial-within-a-trial concerning evidence obtained following the arrest of co-accused Musa Kekana in April 2024.
In September, the court ruled that Kekana’s bail affidavit was admissible as evidence in the main trial.
Meanwhile, Matlala himself is also facing separate corruption allegations linked to the R228 million Medicare 24 Tshwane District contract.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption said earlier this month that Matlala and his two companies are expected to be joined with other accused in the Medicare 24 case. The matter is due to return to court later this month.
Matlala and his companies are accused of being linked to the alleged irregular awarding of the contract. He has also faced separate allegations involving the use of municipal vehicles and blue lights, for which he appeared in the Germiston Magistrates’ Court alongside former acting EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and another accused.
The latest investigation, however, centres on the Waterkloof Ridge lease and the alleged use of fraudulent documents to secure the property.
Police have not yet disclosed the full extent of the evidence being investigated or whether additional arrests are expected.
The matter remains under investigation by the PKTT.
