The Madlanga Commission resumes in Pretoria today, where North West businessman Brown Mogotsi returns to the stand for continued cross examination.
This follows a day of testimony in which evidence leaders confronted him with contradictions and challenged the credibility of several claims he made earlier in the week.
On Wednesday, evidence leader Advocate Matthew Chaskalson scrutinised Mogotsi’s assertions, describing aspects of his evidence as “fanciful, far fetched and wildly implausible” during Wednesday’s session.
The exchange cast a spotlight on long standing concerns about Mogotsi’s reliability, particularly in relation to statements he made under oath.
A central point of contention involved an affidavit Mogotsi submitted during a planned undercover police operation.
Chaskalson questioned why Mogotsi had falsely claimed to work in the Ministry of Police.
“I lied because I could not tell him that I’m an agent. It was for the purposes of the work,” Mogotsi replied.
Chaskalson told him that lying under oath amounted to perjury.
The commission also addressed Mogotsi’s earlier claim that KwaZulu Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini had been recruited by the CIA.
Chaskalson noted that these allegations appeared to be a deliberate misdirection and pointed out factual inaccuracies about the existence of a Richards Bay coal mine referenced in Mogotsi’s version.
Pressed further, Mogotsi backtracked, saying:
“I can rephrase and put it in proper context — the coal mine is in Mpumalanga”.
Chaskalson argued that had Mogotsi and his alleged handler genuinely investigated such claims, “they would have uncovered the basic facts… in five minutes on the internet” and said the account was “self evidently absurd” .
The commission also heard Mogotsi reiterate his allegation that payments were made by alleged crime figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala to senior SAPS officials, including Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi.
Chaskalson countered that an analysis of Matlala’s cellphone chats showed no evidence of such transactions, stating:
“If Matlala was paying massive bribes… I would expect to see some sign of that relationship with them in the chats”.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi raised concerns about another inconsistency, Mogotsi’s statement that Matlala handed a bag to Mkhwanazi at his “home in Umhlanga Ridge.”
Baloyi pointed out that Mkhwanazi had testified earlier that he lives in Hillcrest, not Umhlanga.
She cautioned that presenting allegations without supporting evidence had “serious implications” for those implicated.
“All I am saying is I came here to give my side of the story. If Cat was lying to me, he was lying to me,” Mogotsi told the commission.
Cross examination will continue today as the inquiry tests Mogotsi’s version against evidence gathered during Phase One.
The commission is examining allegations of criminal infiltration, political interference and corruption within the justice system.
The live stream of today’s proceedings appears below.
Readers are advised to refresh this page shortly before the commission resumes to load the stream correctly.
