‘Die, you dog’: security guard’s emotional testimony at Cat Matlala trial

A security guard broke down on the witness stand as he described an AK-47 ambush at the Centurion Golf Estate on 10 August 2022, in the trial of Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and four co-accused.

Guard gives vivid account of ambush

Bethuel Mzamo Cele, who said he was guarding the estate’s car park that night, testified in isiZulu through an interpreter and told the Johannesburg High Court he remembered the attack clearly.

“If I am thinking about that incident, it is like it happened yesterday,”

Cele said a red Ferrari arrived, followed by a white Golf 7, and that a white BMW had passed slowly before making a U-turn and parking where the Ferrari and Golf stood. He told the court that two men then left the BMW and drew AK-47s.

“Then two male people alighted from that motor vehicle. When they alighted, they drew out their AK-47s,”

Shot at and returned fire

Cele said the first bullet narrowly missed him. He described dragging a colleague to safety behind a tree as the gunmen opened fire on the Golf, smashing its window.

He said his colleague told him they could not die while Cele was carrying a firearm, and that Cele then took out his gun, cocked it and fired.

“I shot five rounds of bullets,”

Cele told the court he saw one of the gunmen wounded and watched him scramble back into the BMW through a window while the guard continued to fire. He described firing at the fleeing attacker and said he “pushed him with bullets.”

“I pushed him with bullets,”

Cele said the second gunman continued shooting at the occupants of the parked vehicle and shouted “die, you dog” as he fired. Cele said he dropped to the ground and kept firing from a prone position, calling back an occupant who had tried to flee toward the robot where there was no cover.

Emotional pause and courtroom directions

The state advocate, Elize le Roux, paused questioning when Cele became emotional. Judge Cassim Moosa told the witness to take his time, and Cele drank water before resuming his testimony.

Cele is the complainant on one of the attempted murder counts and is the sixth name on the state’s witness list in a trial expected to run for 30 days.

Charges and accused

The trial is against Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and four co-accused. Those named in court reporting include alleged gunmen Musa Kekana and Tiego Floyd Mabusela, Matlala’s wife Tsakani Matlala and Nthabiseng Zandile Nzama. All five pleaded not guilty to the 25 counts against them.

The charges listed in court include conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, money laundering, fraud and the illegal possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition. The reporting notes that each of the 11 attempted murder counts carries a minimum sentence of life imprisonment on conviction, with those counts reflecting each person allegedly fired on across three attacks.

State alleges Matlala masterminded attack

The shooting Cele described is the alleged attempted hit on taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni, which the state alleges Matlala masterminded.

The court heard that the state had identified the Russian-model AK-47 allegedly used in the Sibanyoni shooting down to its serial number.

Procedural notes from court

Before Cele began evidence, counsel for all five accused objected to him standing in the witness box with a copy of his statement. Le Roux told the court she had not intended to lead the witness with the statement in hand and asked that it be put away.

Judge Moosa also directed that no witnesses may sit in the public gallery while others testify, after an incident on Monday. Le Roux said she would alert the court before each witness testifies and noted the majority of witnesses consulted had concerns about being recorded or filmed.

The defence and state had a dispute over admissions offered by the defence that the state said it had drafted overnight; the issue was left standing over until after the tea adjournment.

The trial continues.