Controversial North West businessman Brown Mogotsi will remain behind bars for at least another week after the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court postponed his formal bail application to May 25.
Mogotsi, who was arrested on Friday, appeared in court on Monday facing charges of defeating the ends of justice, perjury, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. His arrest stems from allegations that a supposed assassination attempt against him may have been staged.
The state requested a seven-day postponement, arguing that investigators still needed additional time to verify Mogotsi’s residential address in Mmabatho, North West. Prosecutors told the court that the defence only supplied the address on Monday morning, despite Mogotsi having been arrested days earlier.
According to the state, the verification process was complicated by the fact that the address falls outside Gauteng, creating logistical difficulties for investigators trying to confirm the information within a short timeframe.
Although the prosecution indicated that it did not intend to oppose bail, it argued that the court should only make a final determination once the verification process had been completed.
Mogotsi’s legal team strongly opposed the lengthy postponement and urged the court to postpone the matter only until Thursday. The defence argued that police should already have verified the address before Mogotsi’s first appearance because he had been in custody since Friday.
Lawyers for Mogotsi further argued that postponing the case until next Monday would unfairly force him to spend another weekend in jail before formally applying for bail.
Court proceedings briefly took an unexpected turn when Mogotsi raised his hand from the dock to speak to his lawyer. He told the court that investigators had previously visited one of his business addresses in March and claimed the premises were situated close to his residential address.
The state acknowledged that investigators had interacted with Mogotsi previously but maintained that the defence should have formally submitted the residential address over the weekend rather than waiting until Monday morning.
The magistrate ultimately sided with the prosecution and granted the postponement request, ruling that investigators should be afforded enough time to complete the address verification ahead of the bail application.
Mogotsi’s arrest came shortly after his appearance before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Friday, where he featured prominently in testimony relating to allegations of political interference and links to law enforcement networks.
Police are now investigating claims that an earlier shooting incident involving Mogotsi, initially reported as an assassination attempt, may have been orchestrated.
