Controversial North West businessman and a disputed spy Brown Mogotsi will remain in custody until June 22 after the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court postponed his matter to allow his legal team to introduce new facts in support of a fresh bail application.
Mogotsi briefly appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
His legal representatives asked for the matter to be moved to the bail court so that a new bail application, based on what they described as “new facts,” could be heard.
The case was postponed to June 22, when the fresh bail application will be considered.
This follows Magistrate Annelise Thlapi’s decision last week Thursday, June 4, to refuse Mogotsi bail.
She found that Mogotsi had submitted three different residential addresses and failed to adequately confirm where he resides.
“The applicant failed to satisfy this court that he has a fixed residential address.”
The court concluded that Mogotsi could not be easily traced and therefore posed a risk of evading trial.
“The interests of justice do not allow for his release,” Thlapi ruled.
Mogotsi is facing charges of perjury, defeating the ends of justice, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and discharging a firearm in a public space.
These charges arise from allegations that he staged an assassination attempt on himself in Vosloorus in November 2025.
His lawyer, William Sekgatja, previously argued that the inconsistencies in the addresses were minor and amounted to an “honest mistake.”
“The only issue is the sequencing of the numbers in the address,” he said. “It was an honest error.”
Sekgatja added that the address was provided by Mogotsi’s wife and confirmed by traditional leaders, arguing that this alone was not sufficient grounds to deny bail.
“We are not satisfied with the ruling,” he said. “The applicant has the right to appeal this decision to the High Court.”
The State opposed bail, alleging that witnesses observed Mogotsi stop his vehicle and fire shots at it before later claiming he had been the victim of an assassination attempt.
Prosecutors also alleged that Mogotsi misled investigators with false addresses, delayed cooperation with police, and attempted to bribe an investigating officer.
According to the State, CCTV footage did not show any other vehicles in the area at the time of the incident, and investigators initially struggled to locate Mogotsi after reports surfaced that he had died.
The defence rejected these claims, insisting that Mogotsi had provided adequate proof of residence, including an affidavit from his customary wife, GPS records, telephone data, and municipal documents.
Mogotsi’s other lawyer, Nthabiseng Mohamane also said discrepancies in the lease agreement were due to a typographical error.
Mogotsi remains in custody awaiting the outcome of his fresh bail application.
