Focalistic Dragged After Teasing New Song ‘Cat Matlala’

Focalistic, DJ Maphorisa, Xduppy, and Benzoo are facing intense backlash online after teasing a new track titled “Cat Matlala.” The snippet, shared by Focalistic on his social media, shows the artists dancing to the unreleased song — a moment that quickly spread across X and ignited heated criticism.

The controversy stems from the song’s apparent reference to Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a highly controversial figure linked to serious criminal allegations. Matlala has been associated with multiple legal cases, including vehicle hijackings, hospital looting, attempted murder, and even suspected involvement in the killing of whistleblower Babita Deokaran. His name carries heavy weight, particularly in communities affected by the crimes he is alleged to have committed.

Many social media users felt the musicians were trivializing or even glorifying an individual connected to trauma, violence, and systemic harm.

One of the strongest criticisms came from user @ISephara, who posted a detailed thread calling out Focalistic by name. The post read:

“Meet Lethabo Lebetsa (Focalistic), a 29-year-old amapiano artist who thinks it’s socially acceptable to make a song praising Cat Matlala.
Matlala is involved in vehicle hijackings, but also the looting of Tembisa Hospital… suspected in the brutal killing of whistleblower Babita Doekaran… involved in the attempted murder of two women, including his ex-girlfriend.
Black communities suffer the most from actions by people like Cat Matlala… yet somehow Focalistic and his team decided to write, compose, produce and release such a song to support and encourage people like Matlala.
They want to make quick money off the tears of broken families How pathetic.”

The thread sparked widespread debate, with many echoing the sentiment. Another user criticized the artist’s academic background, writing:
“Imagine a political science UP graduate — what a waste of political consciousness.”

Others condemned the broader issue, stating, “South Africa has an unhealthy relationship with criminality.”

Despite the heavy backlash, not everyone agreed with the criticism. One user defended Focalistic and the team, suggesting that people were misinterpreting the reference:

“Instead of canceling the ruling government for looting, you wanna cancel someone that’s getting his money straight. He is not praising CAT but referencing his action that he’s about to loot the music industry. There’s real life issues y’all need to address. Leave Foca alone.”

As the debate continues to unfold, the artists have not yet responded publicly. Whether the song will be released as is — or addressed in any way — remains to be seen.

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