Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala arrived for his ad hoc committee appearance in full Fendi on Thursday, transforming what should have been a solemn accountability session into a bizarre fashion showcase, and netizens wasted no time calling out the arrogance, the greed and the obvious mockery of the justice system.
This incident has sparked outrage, with many dubbing it ‘criminal couture’.
Cat Matlala rocks R25k fashion at ad hoc committee
His fashion has angered Netizens due to the lavish display, with outrage intensifying as Matlala rocked a R25k outfit by Fendi and Burberry.
Matlala, the 49-year-old businessman, currently held at Kgosi Mampuru prison on charges that include attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane, money laundering, and alleged involvement in a questionable Saps tender, continued his now familiar pattern of arriving at legal proceedings dressed like a man attending a billionaire brunch rather than facing serious criminal allegations.
Fendi fashion
On Thursday, the ad hoc committee did not just get an accused man. They got a runway model without a runway.
Matlala stepped out in a head-to-toe Fendi ensemble, complete with a Fendi shirt priced between R16 000 and R25 000, sleek black Fendi trousers and an unmistakable Fendi logo pants which many saw as an extravagant flaunting of wealth.
The entire outfit looked less like a court appearance and more like a fashion campaign, except here the backdrop was Kgosi Mampuru prison.
The clothing choices, including Fendi and Burberry, have sparked outrage and have been deemed ‘criminal couture’ by some critics, also seen on fellow inmate Thabo Bester during court appearances.
‘So much greed’
As soon as images surfaced online, X erupted. One user wrote, “No wonder these guys are behind bars, so much greed. I cannot afford a four thousand rand formal suit, let alone buying a shirt for seventeen thousand.”
Another clearly unimpressed person posted a photo of the shirt and exclaimed, “He borrowed the shirt from Bester.” And it did not stop there.
“Showing off where all the Tembisa money went,” one follower added, accompanied by an angry emoji that captured the national mood perfectly.
‘Penchant for loud designer brands’
Sentletse, one of South Africa’s sharpest social media commentators, summed up the frustration with an acidic remark. “There seems to be a direct correlation between a lack of education and a penchant for loud designer brands.”
A follower named Mukoma responded with the equally cutting line, “It is called compensatory inclination,” suggesting that the fashion was less style and more insecurity wrapped in luxury labels.
This is not Matlala’s first appearance dressed in high-end clothing.
He has previously arrived in court wearing a Rolex worth more than many people’s annual salaries and Dolce and Gabbana outfits that looked outrageously out of place next to heavily armed correctional services officers escorting him in.
Burberry blues
And on Wednesday, head-to-toe in Burberry, was another instance that Matlala flaunted designer wear at the ad hoc committee.
Eyebrows were raised when the price tags started surfacing. The outfit of the top-tier Burberry Sherfield shirt, tailored trousers and matching loafers are estimated to cost upwards of R25 000 to R35 000, depending on sourcing.
For many South Africans, these choices feel like an insult, a deliberate sneer at the justice system, at victims, and at the millions of people who live responsibly while flashy alleged criminals flaunt designer outfits purchased with money that remains the subject of police investigations.
Replacing the Madlanga commission with the ad hoc committee has not softened public anger either. If anything, it has intensified it.
A space meant for accountability has turned into a stage where an accused man performs confidence rather than remorse. For many watching, the performance is not only distasteful but deeply disrespectful.
Matlala’s insistence on wearing luxury clothing despite being in prison overalls between appearances makes the spectacle even more absurd.
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It creates a jarring contrast between his reality and the fantasy wardrobe he parades for the cameras. It reads as arrogance, not innocence. It reads as a refusal to respect a process designed to serve justice.
In the end, his designer display has done nothing to improve his public image, as the outrage over his attire at the ad hoc committee grew.
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