Who is Annelene van den Heever, Cat Matlala’s lead counsel?
· The South African
Advocate Annelene van den Heever has become a familiar face at the Madlanga Commission as she leads Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s legal team.
Her robust approach has drawn attention as she challenges questions that she believes could prejudice Matlala in pending criminal matters.
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But Van den Heever handled high-profile clients long before Matlala appeared before the commission.
Her previous clients include Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir, self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri, former Eskom and Transnet chief financial officer Anoj Singh, and twins Brandon-Lee and Tony-Lee Thulsie.
VAN DEN HEEVER ASKS FOR TIME WITH MATLALA
Van den Heever returned to the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday, 26 August, as Matlala prepared to continue his testimony.
She asked the commission for an hour to consult with Matlala and work through documents before evidence leaders continued questioning him.
Van den Heever said the legal team had struggled to keep up with new material it had received from the commission since Friday.
“Unfortunately, it is so. That we as a team have been trying to catch up with all the new things we are constantly been given by the Commission since Friday,” she said.
She added that the team needed “an opportunity for fairness to the client”.
The request came after Matlala spent Tuesday answering questions about his financial dealings with businessmen Hangwani Maumela and Steve Motsumi.
Matlala said Motsumi loaned him R5 million in 2024 to fund renovations for a hospital lease project at the SAPS Pretoria West College. He said they formalised the loan through an acknowledgement of debt and that he repaid the money in 2025.
VAN DEN HEEVER AND SELLO CLASH
Her request followed a tense exchange with evidence leader Advocate Mahlape Sello on Tuesday.
Matlala repeatedly invoked his right against self-incrimination when declining to answer certain questions.
Van den Heever has maintained that Matlala is entitled to invoke that right where answering questions could incriminate him.
MADLANGA COMMISSION | Adv Anneline van den Heever argues that Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala is entitled to invoke his right against self-incrimination. pic.twitter.com/F1Q9MtFsWg
— SABC News (@SABCNews) August 25, 2026
Sello complained about Van den Heever’s interjections during her questioning of Matlala.
Van den Heever has intervened when she believes questions could prejudice her client in pending criminal or tender-related matters.
The exchanges have placed her at the centre of the legal battle over how far the commission can press Matlala for answers.
VAN DEN HEEVER LEADS MATLALA’S TEAM
She serves as Matlala’s lead counsel at the commission, while Advocate Fatima Missi also forms part of his legal team.
Their roles came into focus on Monday, 24 August, when Van den Heever could not attend proceedings because she was ill.
Missi appeared on her behalf and asked the commission to stand Matlala’s testimony down until Tuesday to give the legal team more time to consult with him and prepare.
Matlala’s legal team has also challenged attempts to compel him to answer questions where he claims the answers could incriminate him.
Commission chair Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has pressed Matlala to establish how answering specific questions could expose him to self-incrimination before relying on the privilege.
NO STRANGER TO HIGH-PROFILE CASES
Van den Heever has represented several people whose cases attracted national attention.
One of them was Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir.
She later represented Brandon-Lee and Tony-Lee Thulsie after authorities arrested the twins in July 2016 on terrorism-related charges. Their case spent years in pre-trial proceedings.
In 2019, Van den Heever accused the State of delaying the case by failing to hand over outstanding documents that the defence needed to prepare for trial.
The State disputed the accusation and attributed the delays to technical difficulties.
The twins later entered into plea and sentence agreements in 2022.
SHEPHERD BUSHIRI
Van den Heever also represented self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri during his high-profile legal battles in South Africa.
She acted for Bushiri during bail proceedings in 2020, when he, his wife Mary and their co-accused faced fraud and money laundering charges.
The court granted the couple bail. They later left South Africa for Malawi.
ANOJ SINGH
Former Eskom and Transnet chief financial officer Anoj Singh is another high-profile figure Van den Heever has represented.
She acted for Singh during his appearances before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
Singh faced questions relating to his tenure at the state-owned companies, while Van den Heever represented him as he dealt with evidence put to him at the commission.
MATLALA PUTS HER BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Matlala’s case has once again put Van den Heever in the spotlight as she leads his defence through another closely watched legal battle.
He continues to testify before the Madlanga Commission while facing separate criminal proceedings.
That overlap has repeatedly caused friction between his legal team and the commission.
The commission has also scrutinised his relationships with several figures, including Maumela and the late Jotham “Mswazi” Msibi.
As The South African previously reported, Matlala acknowledged his friendship with Maumela but denied that he and Msibi were friends. He described his relationship with Msibi as professional.