PRETORIA - The Madlanga Commission’s proceedings were delayed on Tuesday after businessman Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala’s lawyers alleged that his legal privileges had been violated.
Matlala’s lawyer, Adv. Annelene van den Heever, told the Commission there had been an agreement between his legal team and the Commission’s legal team that certain parts of their consultations with him would remain off the record.
Van den Heever alleged that during Matlala’s testimony on Monday, Adv. Adila Hassim disclosed information that was covered by the alleged agreement.
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However, the Commission’s Adv. Mahlape Sello denied the allegations.
Sello told the Commission that the legal team had gone to great lengths to obtain Matlala’s testimony while he was being held at various correctional facilities, including Ebongweni in KwaZulu-Natal.
She said Matlala’s lawyers were present during consultations at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre in Pretoria.
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However, they were not present at Ebongweni, and the consultation there did not proceed.
Sello said the Commission’s team would not have gone to such lengths to secure Matlala’s testimony and conduct an investigation if the information was not intended to be presented publicly.
This is the second consecutive day that Matlala’s testimony has been delayed.
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On Monday, his lawyer argued that he could not continue testifying because there was a possibility that he could incriminate himself. Despite the objection, his testimony proceeded.
Following the 11am tea break on Tuesday, it emerged that Sello had not been party to any agreement as alleged by Matlala’s lawyer.
Van den Heever was ordered to apologise for suggesting that Sello had been aware of the alleged agreement.