PRETORIA - The collapse of Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s plea agreement has cleared the way for the fraud case to proceed to trial, with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirming its investigation will continue independently of the failed deal.
NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago says the plea agreement has been declared null and void, meaning none of its contents can be used as evidence in court.
Matlala is expected to be reinstated as accused number one when the matter returns to court on 11 September, allowing the trial to proceed.
Kganyago says the State’s case was never dependent on the plea agreement.
He says several suspects had already been arrested based on evidence gathered during the investigation, well before the agreement was concluded.
According to Kganyago, the plea deal would merely have assisted investigators in identifying additional individuals allegedly involved in the fraud.
He says investigators will continue building the case independently, and anyone implicated by the evidence will be arrested and charged, as was the case with the other accused.