Cape Town – A proposal involving businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala that could have had implications for national security at OR Tambo International Airport has emerged amid ongoing scrutiny of the Pretoria‑based tenderpreneur’s extensive business and legal troubles.
According to reports, Matlala had courted Nedbank for funding of about R70 million a year to establish an exclusive terminal at OR Tambo, dubbed “The Green Lounge,” aimed at wealthy clients who would enjoy fine dining, sleep pods, bars and other high‑end amenities.
The concept included services beyond a standard lounge — and would have involved fast‑tracking selected passengers through customs and border control.
🔴NEWS I High-Flying Plans: Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala Plans Luxury Private Terminal at OR Tambo Airport in Talks with Nedbank for R70 Million Funding Annually🔴
Businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala had big dreams of setting up a top-end luxury private terminal at OR Tambo… pic.twitter.com/kmmHbhuU5g
— Central News (@centralnewsza) January 15, 2026
News24 ‘s investigative journalist Jeff Wicks, warned that the proposal went far beyond luxury comforts and edged into national security territory.
“That tells you that it was more than a lounge; it was actually a terminal,” Wicks said, noting that the arrangement would have effectively given Matlala’s agents influence over who entered and exited the country.
Documents obtained by News24 showed the business pitch would have placed Matlala in a position to derive large annual revenue while being closely tied to security movements at the airport. Matlala reportedly sought “a very valuable stake at OR Tambo, R70 million a year that he was asking from Nedbank,” Wicks said.
Details of the terminal plan emerged as Matlala’s broader business affairs and legal battles continue to draw scrutiny. He is currently incarcerated in a maximum‑security prison in KwaZulu‑Natal, facing a range of serious charges, including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
As reported by Eyewitness News, critics have raised concerns that the privileged access envisaged under the plan — including a “fast track” through customs — could have undermined established border security procedures should it have been implemented.
“The trappings of wealth that he was pushing at Nedbank were really at the surface; the implications of this were that Cat Matlala’s agents would have been responsible for security screening at that airport,” Wicks said.
Matlala’s efforts to secure the airport project, which included preparing detailed concept documents, did not come to fruition, and engagement with potential financiers did not advance to construction or implementation.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
