In South Africa’s most high-profile courtrooms, the spotlight has increasingly shifted beyond the dock’s primary accused to the women beside them.
From glamorous high-rollers to legal professionals and reality TV stars, a growing list of wives and partners find their lives, businesses, and reputations inextricably tied to major criminal trials.
Tsakane Matlala is the latest example. Already facing a separate criminal trial with her husband, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, she was arrested again on September 22 in connection with an alleged fraudulent Waterkloof lease.
But her story sits within a wider group of women whose relationships, businesses or personal circumstances have become part of major court cases.
Tsakane Matlala
Tsakane is facing legal scrutiny on two separate fronts.
On Tuesday, she was arrested by members of the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team in connection with an investigation into alleged fraud and corruption involving properties in Gauteng. Police allege that fraudulent documents were used to acquire properties.
The investigation includes an alleged R95 000 a month lease for a Waterkloof property. Tsakane is accused of falsifying bank statements to help her husband secure the agreement.
Authorities are also investigating allegations involving fraudulent eSwatini documents linked to the property matter. Tsakane and three other suspects are expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrates Court over the allegations.
The latest arrest comes while she is already standing trial with her husband and three other accused in the Johannesburg High Court.
The group faces 25 charges linked to alleged shooting incidents between August 2022 and January 2024. The charges include attempted murder and other offences. The state alleges that one of the incidents involved an attack on Cat’s former partner, Tebogo Thobejane.
The accused have pleaded not guilty.
Tsakane has also attracted attention because of her public profile and business interests. Her luxury lifestyle has been documented on social media while previous investigations have examined her involvement in business and government contracts.
Her case has therefore moved beyond the relationship with her husband. She is now a prominent figure in her own right within two separate legal matters.
Dr Nandipha Magudumana
Dr Nandipha Magudumana became internationally known through her relationship with convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester.
Magudumana is facing 38 charges in connection with allegations surrounding Bester’s escape from lawful custody and the events that followed. The charges include fraud, corruption, money laundering, arson and assisting an inmate to escape.
The National Prosecuting Authority has previously confirmed the charges and detailed the prosecution's case.
Her arrest in Tanzania in 2023 became another major part of the story. She challenged the legality of her arrest and deportation, but the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed her appeal in May 2025.
Magudumana’s case illustrates how a partner can become a central figure in a criminal investigation even when the allegations extend far beyond the relationship itself.
Charlotte Tibana
Attorney Charlotte Tibana is facing court proceedings alongside her husband, Tshwane Metro Police Department officer Peter “Gagash” Nonyane.
The couple faces 43 charges, including theft, fraud and money laundering. The state alleges that they took money from deceased estate accounts involving several families. The National Prosecuting Authority said the total amount at issue was about R6 million.
Tibana’s professional background has added another dimension to the case. She is an attorney who was involved in the administration of estates linked to the allegations.
The Polokwane Magistrates Court denied bail to Tibana and Nonyane in September. The state argued that Tibana had allegedly interfered with the investigation by contacting witnesses and police officials. Those allegations remain part of the prosecution’s case.
Melany Viljoen
Reality television personality Melany Viljoen became known to South African audiences through “The Real Housewives of Pretoria”. Her husband, Peet Viljoen, has since faced a separate legal battle involving an alleged property fraud scheme.
Peet faces more than 400 charges linked to an alleged multimillion-rand municipal property fraud scheme. Prosecutors allege that a syndicate used forged documents to facilitate the unlawful transfer and sale of properties belonging to the Johannesburg Property Company.
Melany has remained publicly associated with her husband during the legal proceedings. In July, she relaunched a crowdfunding campaign intended to help cover his legal fees after an earlier campaign was shut down.
The couple also made headlines earlier this year after being arrested in the United States over an alleged retail theft matter.
Xolelwa Msome
In the Eastern Cape, Xolelwa Msome and her husband Ntobeko Msome have been linked to a separate case involving allegations of murder, fraud and racketeering.
The case centres on allegations of an insurance scheme in which funeral policies were allegedly taken out on people before they were killed for financial gain.
The allegations have made the case one of the most closely watched murder for money matters in the province. As with the other cases, the allegations must be tested through the courts rather than treated as fact.
Not every woman is an accused
The stories also show why it is important not to group every woman connected to a major criminal case together.
Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, for example, was not an accused person. She was a victim in a case that resulted in international extradition proceedings involving her husband, Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma.
Nothabo and her two young daughters were allegedly murdered in the United Kingdom. Her husband later fled the country and was arrested in Johannesburg. South African authorities have since been dealing with proceedings concerning his extradition to the UK.
Her story is fundamentally different from those of women facing criminal charges.
lutho.pasiya@nationalmg.co.za