Madlanga Commission | Mogotsi denies staging alleged assassination attempt

Controversial North West businessman, Brown Mogotsi, has dismissed claims that he staged an attempted assassination to escape accountability for his alleged role in high-level criminal networks.

Mogotsi — accused of acting as a middleman between suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala — says he was targeted by gunmen travelling in a white bakkie on the N3 highway near Vosloorus on the East Rand last month.

Several bullets tore through the vehicle he was travelling in, but Mogotsi walked away without injury, prompting questions about whether the shooting was genuine or orchestrated.

Testifying before the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday afternoon, Mogotsi insisted the attack was real and left him fearing for his life.

He added that he has long wanted to testify at the commission adding that he had to increase his security because he believes his life is now under threat.

Meanwhile, the commission’s patience wore noticeably thin as the credibility of controversial North West businessman and police informant Brown Mogotsi steadily unraveled under intense questioning.

What began as testimony Mogotsi claimed would “unburden his chest” quickly descended into a maze of contradictions, allegations without evidence, and admissions that cast doubt on his reliability as a witness.

Evidence leader, Advocate Matthew Chaskalson, confronted Mogotsi with what he called a pattern of dishonesty, accusing him of misleading the commission and even lying under oath in previous proceedings.

“I put it to you now again that your job as an agent requires you to lie as a profession,” Chaskalson told him — a claim Mogotsi vehemently rejected.

Chaskalson presented documents suggesting Mogotsi submitted fraudulent information in a past court matter involving a late tender application. Mogotsi disputed this, insisting any inaccuracies were circumstantial.

He was further pressed on an affidavit in which he falsely described himself as an employee in the office of the Police Minister — an admission he struggled to explain, instead blaming “context” and claiming he never intended to mislead anyone.

“It’s not true. I have, even yesterday immediately I spoke to my lawyers that when I introduced myself to agent Snell, I never told him I am an agent and indeed he was going to ask me, if you check what I was doing there, and he asked me indeed that who are you ? How can that man ask for a promotion from you? How is that possible. That how this thing that says I am male employed in the office of the minister, or else I did not carry the authority to conduct the authority of the section 252a,” Mogotsi said.

Commissioner, Advocate Sesi Baloyi, also chastised Mogotsi for repeatedly presenting unverified allegations as fact — including a claim he made on Monday that KZN Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini were CIA operatives.

Baloyi suggested it was “grossly irresponsible” for Mogotsi to use the commission as a platform to spread untested allegations.

Despite mounting evidence discrediting him, Mogotsi insisted he had no intention to mislead the inquiry and suggested there may be “a hidden agenda” aimed at discrediting him.

He portrayed himself as a targeted whistleblower whose life was under threat, recounting an alleged attempted assassination in Vosloorus that he claims was dismissed as staged.

Mogotsi also introduced fresh allegations, including claims that he had information about a deadly cash-in-transit heist in Limpopo in which at least 17 people were killed.

He alleged that a surviving member of the gang — who he said came forward after being underpaid — was later killed after confiding in him.

However, as with many of his assertions, he provided no documentary evidence to support these claims.

By midday, it became clear the commission was struggling to extract clear, factual information from the businessman. His testimony frequently shifted, contradicted earlier statements, or implicated him in wrongdoing unbeknownst to him.

The commission signaled its growing frustration, noting that Mogotsi’s narratives often lacked even basic verification and appeared to deflect from allegations against him.

Mogotsi will be back on the stand on Thursday.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao