Former Muvhango actress and mom Tebogo Thobejane says after receiving sympathy for almost being allegedly killed Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who shot and cripling her friend during a shooting. She has noted the shift to admiring him for his flashy fashion sense and intriguing personality.
After undergoing a mid questioning at Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee over his alleged corrupt and devious practices and attempted murder. The committee members travelled to the Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria, where Matlala is an awaiting trial prisoner, facing charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud, and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
When EFF president Julius Malema questioned Matlala, he first commended him on breaking away from the chains of poverty and his circumstances back home.
Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi has slammed MK party MP, Vusi Shongwe, for appearing “sympathetic” towards controversial businessman Matlala even calling him “groetman” – a term loosely translated as “big brother” or “big man” in Afrikaans, but also used as a slang word in to show respect to an older man or a well-respected man in the community.
Thobejane took to Instagram to express her disappointment in the sudden admiration for Matlala.
“My intuition is loud: something here doesn’t add up. When the whole nation suddenly ‘loves’ someone they once feared, it usually means the narrative is being managed behind the scenes,” she wrote.
She implied the deliberate attempt to soften Matlala’s public image has been strategic.
“Have you ever noticed how blogs suddenly start hyping someone, and how the tone of the whole country shifts overnight? We, as a nation, get captured so easily. We forget the real crimes, the people who were hurt, and the lives that were lost. We let power rewrite the truth right in front of us.”
She said many people have experienced how quickly a narrative can be twisted to protect the right people.
“And honestly, we’re shocked that we, as South Africans, don’t see what’s happening. We watch the story being rewritten in real time, and somehow, we accept it.”
She said no amount of online attention could erase her trauma.
“It’s easy to laugh and move on, but real crimes happened, and real people suffered. PR can clean an image, but it can’t fix what was destroyed. At the end of the day, prayer is the only thing we have because God sees everything.”
Thobejane and Matlala once dated. In October 2023, she was shot during a car ambush that left a friend paralysed.
“It’s easy to laugh and move on, but real crimes happened, and real people suffered. PR can clean an image, but it can’t fix what was destroyed. At the end of the day, prayer is the only thing we have because God sees everything.”
Bongi Sikelo 