High Court hears Magistrates Court which denied 'Cat' Matlala bail was wrong

The Johannesburg High Court has heard that the magistrates court which denied alleged crime king pin Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala bail incorrectly interpreted the nature of the charges against him.

Matlala has escalated his bid for bail to the High Court.

He is facing attempted murder charges for allegedly calling a hit on his socialite girlfriend – Tebogo Thobejane.

Last month, the Magistrates Court ruled that he has failed to prove that he is not a flight risk and that he will not interfere with witnesses.

On Monday morning, the High Court heard that prosecutors incorrectly categorised the charge as a schedule 6 offense and not schedule 5 - which raised the bar of proof when he was applying for bail.

“Despite the Concession that the state made that the magistrate misdirected her on the schedule I did not make a concession that the ultimate denial of bail was, in fact, wrong. The yardstick is still that this court can only interfere with the decision of the magistrate if this court is convinced that her decision was wrong.”