By Marcus Moloko
North West businessman and political fixer Brown Mogotsi’s qualifications came under sharp scrutiny at the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday as evidence leaders sought to establish whether his background offered any substance to support his claims.
Mogotsi presented himself as more than just a businessman, telling the inquiry that his career began in the early 1990s when he was recruited as an agent for Crime Intelligence within the South African Police Service.
It is this claim that he used to paint a picture of decades of experience in intelligence work, even when his credentials were proven to have been largely undocumented.
Mogotsi insisted his role as an intelligence operative provided him with unique insight into the criminal underworld, including policing structures.
Despite these claims, commissioners pressed Mogotsi to provide tangible proof of his qualifications.
Advocate Matthew Chaskalson SC, the chief evidence leader for the commission, accused him of lying under oath and highlighted discrepancies in his testimony.
For example, Mogotsi said that alleged crime boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala had visited the KwaZulu-Natal police chief, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, at his home in Umhlanga Ridge, KwaZulu-Natal. Evidence before the commission, however, showed that Mkhwanazi lived in Hillcrest, raising doubts about Mogotsi’s reliability.
Co-commissioner Sandile Khumalo questioned if Mogotsi had any form of intelligence gathering training.
Mogotsi responded in the affirmative, but said he didn’t have formal training.
“You don’t have qualifications?” Khumalo reiterated.
“You want this commission to believe that in 2020, you were hired to investigate irregularities within crime intelligence?”
Mogotsi hesitantly responded with a confirmation.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi went further, questioning whether Mogotsi’s supposed intelligence credentials were verifiable.
She noted that while Mogotsi claimed to have worked closely with SAPS Crime Intelligence, no official records had been presented to substantiate his recruitment or service.
Mogotsi leaned heavily on his intelligence background and described himself as a field operative who had cultivated networks across provinces.
This lack of formal documentation became a central theme of Wednesday’s proceedings.
Commissioners stressed that credibility in such a high-stakes inquiry required more than personal testimony, it demanded verifiable qualifications and evidence.
Mogotsi’s name has surfaced repeatedly, with accusations that he acted as a go-between for suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and alleged crime boss Matlala.
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