Political fixer Brown Mogotsi, is accused of faking his own assassination.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
The State has told the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court that alleged political fixer Brown Mogotsi should not be granted bail, arguing that witnesses saw him get out of his car, shoot at it, and later claim that there had been an attempt on his life.
The claims emerged as Mogotsi continued his bid for bail on Thursday.
Prosecutors allege Mogotsi attempted to bribe a police officer in connection with his bail application and provided investigators with an incorrect residential address.
Mogotsi appeared in court on Monday for his formal bail application.
He remains in custody after the matter was postponed to allow investigators to verify his address.
He faces charges of perjury, defeating the ends of justice, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and discharging a firearm in a public place.
The charges stem from allegations that he staged his own assassination attempt in Vosloorus in November 2025.
State prosecutor Advocate Thami Mpekana argued that Mogotsi should be denied bail because he had not cooperated fully with police.
“He gives his statement through an attempt 10 days thereafter. This is the person who is fearing for his life,” Mpekana told the court.
He said Mogotsi failed to provide his personal details in his statement, making it difficult for investigators to contact him about developments in the case.
“It is at that time when he was contacted by the police that he was aware that the police have now established that he is no longer a witness,” Mpekana said.
He also told the court there were eyewitnesses to the incident.
“The submission of the state is that there are eyewitnesses who saw the car stop and (Mogotsi) fired a few shots towards the car,” he said.
However, the firearm allegedly used in the incident has not yet been recovered.
“At the time, the person was lying on the ground. He was alone in the car, there were no passengers. CCTV also indicated that there wasn’t any other car that had tailed the applicant.”
Mpekana said Mogotsi’s vehicle was the only car seen in the area at the time.
He added that police struggled to trace Mogotsi because investigators were initially told he had died.
“The investigating officer had gone to Mmabatho and also to his place of business (and) was told that he is dead,” he said.
Mpekana further argued that Mogotsi misled investigators and frustrated attempts to verify his address.
Prosecutors told the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court that alleged political fixer Brown Mogotsi should be denied bail because witnesses saw him shoot at his own car before staging the incident as an assassination attempt.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
According to the State, police officers visited an address in Mmabatho, North West, supplied through Mogotsi’s legal team, but were told he did not live there.
Prosecutors also alleged investigators struggled to contact Mogotsi before his appearance at the Madlanga Commission and claimed he had previously provided false address details during a 2007 investigation.
Meanwhile, Mogotsi’s lawyer, Nthabiseng Mohamane, argued that her client had supplied sufficient documentation to verify his residence.
She said Mogotsi had provided an affidavit from his customary wife confirming his residence, along with contact details, WhatsApp communications, GPS pin locations and telephone information.
“Despite the above, the investigating officer persisted in alleging that the applicant cannot be traced or verified,” she said.
She also challenged the State’s claims regarding discrepancies in a lease agreement submitted as proof of residence.
She referred the court to a document, which showed a lease period commencing on July 1, 2024 and ending on July 1, 2027.
According to Mohamane, the investigating officer incorrectly argued that the lease had been signed on July 1, 2026.
“If the court goes to the first page of that document, the lease was signed on July 1, 2024,” she said, arguing that the 2026 date on the final page was merely a typographical error.
She said the landlord named in the lease agreement, Albert Moisakgosi, was the same individual identified by Mogotsi in his court papers.
Mohamane also referred to municipal documents that allegedly showed the property belonged to the municipality rather than the tribal council.
She argued this did not invalidate Mogotsi’s residence at the property.
“The investigating officer says that I found minimal items that belong to the applicant. The issue here is not whether they are more in quantity. The fact of the matter is they are there,” she said.
Mahomame argued that the presence of Mogotsi’s belongings at the property confirmed he lived there.
She also said the traditional council’s letter merely acknowledged that Mogotsi resided in the area and was not intended as proof of ownership.
“If the applicant was not residing there and the owner, according to the municipality, did not know that the applicant was there, he would have been out of the place,” she said.
She further argued that the charges against Mogotsi were not severe enough to justify denying bail.
“My submission is that on defeating the ends of justice, nobody has ever gotten a lengthy term of imprisonment,” she said.
She also argued that the State had not classified the firearm in question as a semi-automatic weapon, meaning minimum sentencing provisions would not apply.
Mohamane said Mogotsi owned a business that generated income and contributed to his family’s finances.
She rejected claims that he was a flight risk, saying that he had complied with requests to appear before the Madlanga Commission and Parliament’s ad hoc committee.
“When he was called to the Madlanga Commission, he appeared as he was requested on all occasions,” she said.
Mogotsi told the court he could afford bail of R10,000.
The presiding officer reserved the judgement in the bail application. The case has been postponed to next week on Thursday, June 4, for judgment. Mogotsi remains in custody.
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