'Liar, Liar'... Brown turns red at Madlanga inquiry

CONTROVERSIAL North West businessman and alleged information peddler, Brown Mogotsi, who claims to be a ‘contact agent’ for crime intelligence, does not have formal training in policing, intelligence gathering, and forensic investigations.

Mogotsi, who has been accused of leveraging his connections to Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to influence police matters, was testifying at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

Mogotsi was questioned about his qualifications as a contact agent and why he was assigned to probe irregularities in crime intelligence.

He conceded to the Madlanga commission that his background includes basic training in counter-intelligence and crime intelligence, which he received as an Umkhonto Wesizwe operative.

“You will be sent from one place to another place. You will be tasked to look at cars (and) look at these people from KZN, look at whatever that is required and after that you will be tasked,” Mogotsi said, to which commissioner Sandile Khumalo, SC, asked: “And that is counter-intelligence, to look at cars?” 

Commission chairperson, retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga expressed concerns about Mogotsi's testimony, highlighting his apparent disregard for the oath he took, after Mogotsi admitted to lying under oath.

“In an affidavit you say that you work for the government in the office of the minister of police. You said that statement was a lie. You deliberately told this lie for a specific purpose. You told this lie under oath. Do you consider oaths to be binding?” Justice Madlanga asked.

Mogotsi accused the commission of "oppressing" him and criticised evidence leader Chaskalson, claiming he adopted a prosecutorial tone rather than fulfilling his role.

“An agent is not a policeman who will obtain a statement that can be presented here. I give intelligence information, which must be converted into evidence that the commission wants. And how will that be converted? It is when I bring people who will corroborate what I am saying.”

Mogotsi also came under scrutiny for suggesting that Mchunu, who has since been placed on enforced leave by President Cyril Ramaphosa, used a Constitutional Court ruling to charge Dumisani Khumalo, head of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), despite Khumalo not being implicated in the judgment. 

He was cross-examined about the court ruling he shared with Mchunu, with a message: “Now we got something proven by the court. This is the matter now which either (Shadrack) Sibiya or the Minister can charge Khumalo and apply Rule 9 of the disciplinary hearing.”

Justice Madlanga, however, pointed out that the court judgment in question had nothing to do with either Khumalo or the PKTT, but events that took place in Cape Town. 

Mogotsi admitted that he had not read the judgment and that he was told it was about the PKTT matter.

Cape Times