Brown Mogotsi’s credibility in question at the Mandlanga Commission

Commissioner Sesi Baloyi has raised concerns over the credibility of North-West businessman Brown Mogotsi’s testimony at the Madlanga hearings in Pretoria. The commission will resume on Thursday.

Baloyi on Wednesday accused Mogotsi of not backing the claims he has made before the commission.

Mogotsi has claimed that attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala visited General Mkhwanazi at his home in Umhlanga Ridge KwaZulu-Natal.

However, evidence before the commission states that General Mkhwanazi lives in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal.

Advocate Baloyi stated, “You would know that General Mkhwanazi testified that his home is in Hillcrest. So, you would’ve done a basic inquiry with Matlala. Are you sure that’s his house because in the commission this is what he said. You did not do that. And then you come here you don’t interrogate him, but you come here and then you put it out there that payments were made at his house or something was given to him at his house. Something was given to him at his house and these allegations were made at his house in Umhlanga Ridge. There’s simply no evidence from you to back up those allegations.”

Madlanga Commission | Analysis on Brown Mogotsi testimony:

C

Claims made by Mogotsi include General Mkhwanazi and King Misuzulu being CIA agents. But evidence leader Adv Chaskalson has dismissed these claims as a misdirection tactic.

Adv Chaskalson questioned Mogotsi, “What’s your response to that? Investigation is investigation. You may have that belief now, but ultimately, the outcome of investigation will show whether we are correct or not. We’ll show the result, but it’s not intended to misdirect.”

Mogotsi was also questioned on a lie he told when he misrepresented himself as being employed in Senzo Mchunu’s office. This was for an application for a warrant to record a conversation between him and an alleged informant.

But Mogotsi has defended the lie stating that he could not present himself just as is.

Adv. Chaskalson asked, “So, you’re now saying you did lie under oath by saying that you were employed in government within the office of the Minister of Police. That was false and you knew it was false, but you thought ‘I needed to do it to enable Lieutenant Colonel Schnell to give me authority under section 2528. Because I could not tell him that I’m an agent’,”

Mogotsi will return to the commission on Thursday for cross-examination.

 Madlanga Commission | Brown Mogotsi’s testimony – Canny Maphanga reports