Clown: Brown Mogotsi’s testimony
at the Madlanga commission
has raised more questions than
answers. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy
Commissioners at the Madlanga inquiry into police corruption this week said the testimony of North West businessman Brown Mogotsi was suspect.
“We should be concerned that you may be using this platform, at least to some extent, to make allegations that you are not backing up,” Commissioner Sesi Baloyi said.
Commission chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga said he had “fundamental problems” with Mogotsi’s unsubstantiated testimony, while evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson called Mogotsi “a professional liar”.
“An oath is meaningless to you and I have no reason to believe the one you took here means anything to you,” Madlanga said.
Mogotsi, believed to be a middleman between suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu and murder accused and alleged leader of the Big Five cartel Vusimuzi Cat Matlala, testified at the start of phase two of the commission where those implicated in corruption in the criminal justice system will respond.
He accused KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Zulu king Misizulu of being CIA spies due to their association with United States universities, admitting that this was “hearsay” but insisting his source was credible.
“During my clandestine investigations I uncovered criminal activities, as a result the scope of my work expanded. There was a suspicion that Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi was recruited by the CIA and actively worked for them,” Mogotsi said.
He said he felt suppressed by the criticism from the bench and that the evidence leader acted as though the inquiry was an interrogation.
Mogotsi claimed to be an agent of the state tasked with uncovering crime intelligence information and said he received basic training in 2020 when he was promoted from being a police informant to contact agent.
Asked if he was a member of ANC’s former military wing at the age of 13 Mogotsi readjusted his age and said he was born in 1977 instead of the stated age in his affidavit of 1979.
He said the home affairs department made an error in his birth certificate.
He said the nature of his relationship with Mchunu was philanthropic and they would talk about mutual projects they care about as well as political topics.
Mchunu’s decision to disband the political killings task team was “a procedural and policy matter”, Mogotsi said, denying it was aimed at protecting Matlala and co-accused Katiso Molefe.
Mogotsi said Mkhwanazi’s July media briefing where he accused Mchunu and deputy national commissioner for crime detection Shadrack Sibiya of collusion with criminal syndicates was a “misdirection”.
He said Mkhwanazi should not have gone to the media but rather registered his complaints inhouse.
However, Chaskalson said Mogotsi’s unsubstantiated claims against Mkhwanazi being a CIA spy were a “misdirection” and that Mogotsi “fabricated” allegations he could not back up.
Mogotsi defended his WhatsApp texts with Matlala where he solicited funds in exchange for confidential police information, saying they were part of his “legend building” as a police informant to extract information from the suspected cartel leader.
Crime Intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo has presented WhatsApp evidence to the commission where Mogotsi asked for funds from Matlala and warns him about planned police operations.
This week Mogotsi also accused former police minister Bheki Cele of being the senior official in collusion with criminal syndicates.
He said Matlala’s R360 million police healthcare tender contract was signed during Cele’s term as police minister. He accused Cele of lying that he met Matlala once and added there were plans to arrest Cele at Matlala’s house.
He said a 2018 crime intelligence report which Cele would have seen named Matlala as “John Wick” with numerous convictions and pending cases.
He told the commission a source told him Cele had an interest in Matlala’s irregular police contract. He accused Cele of receiving a bribe for the R360 million tender which was approved during his time as police minister.