Alleged police informer and North West businessman Brown Mogotsi will appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court today in a fresh bid to be released on bail.
National Prosecuting Authority South Gauteng spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole said Mogotsi is expected to present new facts in support of his bail application.
Mogotsi has been languishing in custody since he was arrested shortly after testifying at the Madlanga Commission last month. He is facing a raft of charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, perjury and defeating the ends of justice.
Mogotsi is accused of staging his own assassination in Vosloorus township in Ekurhuleni.
Mogotsi appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court about two weeks ago but was denied bail after the court found that he had failed to provide accurate residential addresses and could evade trial.
State prosecutor Advocate Thami Mpekana alleged that witnesses saw Mogotsi exit his vehicle, fire shots at it, and later claim there had been an attempt on his life.
The State argued that Mogotsi should be denied bail because he failed to fully cooperate with investigators, delayed providing his statement and omitted key personal details, making it difficult for police to trace him.
Prosecutors also said there were eyewitnesses who saw the vehicle stop and alleged that Mogotsi fired shots at it. They added that CCTV footage indicated there were no other vehicles in the area at the time and that Mogotsi was alone in the vehicle.
The State further told the court that police initially struggled to trace Mogotsi after being informed that he was dead and that investigators visited multiple addresses in the North West provided by his legal team but were told he did not live there.
The State also alleged that he misled investigators about his whereabouts and that there were earlier instances in which he had provided incorrect address details during a 2007 investigation.
Mogotsi’s lawyer, Nthabiseng Mohamane, previously rejected the State’s claims, arguing that he had provided sufficient documentation to verify his residence, including an affidavit from his customary wife, contact details, WhatsApp communications, GPS location data and telephone records.
She also disputed the State’s claims regarding discrepancies in a lease agreement submitted as proof of residence, saying the document showed the lease commenced on July 1, 2024, and expires on July 1, 2027, and that any differing date was a typographical error.
The defence further said municipal and traditional council records supported Mogotsi’s residence in the area and that his belongings at the property confirmed that he lived there.
The defence also argued that the charges were not sufficiently serious to justify denying bail and said Mogotsi was not a flight risk, noting that he had previously complied with appearances before the Madlanga Commission and Parliament’s ad hoc committee.
But the court refused to grant him bail.
