Alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala's matter is currently on trial.
Three men accused in one of South Africa’s most closely watched attempted murder and organised crime trials will now be allowed weekend visits from loved ones after the Johannesburg High Court heard they had gone an entire week without seeing family or friends.
The issue surfaced on Friday as lawyers for Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and two of his co-accused appealed to Judge Cassim Moosa for relief, arguing that the demands of their ongoing trial had effectively cut them off from visitors because court proceedings occupied every weekday on which prison visits were permitted.
After hearing submissions from the defence, Moosa ordered correctional services to facilitate Saturday visits for the three accused for the duration of the trial, subject to the department’s rules.
The ruling came at the end of another dramatic week in a case already marked by allegations of attempted murder, AK-47 attacks, courtroom clashes over evidence, disputes over arrests and a witness identification that is now the subject of a separate legal battle.
