By Anita Dangazele
- State witness Thandiwe Senokwane filed an intimidation case after she was visited three times at home and pressured to make false statements for Mogotsi.
- Brown Mogotsi has been behind bars since 15 May 2026, days after testifying at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into senior police corruption.
Brown Mogotsi knew what was in front of the court. He applied for bail anyway.
The Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court dismissed his second bail application on Monday. The case has been postponed to 8 July 2026, when a trial date will be set.
Mogotsi, a North West businessman and alleged political fixer, has been in custody since 15 May 2026. He faces five charges, including perjury and the unlawful possession of a firearm linked to murder and attempted murder cases.
Prosecutors say he fired 11 rounds at his own vehicle in Vosloorus, then reported to police that unknown gunmen had ambushed him. Ballistic analysis showed the car was stationary and empty when it was shot. CCTV footage showed no other vehicles in the area.
His first bail application failed on 4 June after he could not provide a verifiable residential address. Rather than appeal, his legal team came back on 22 June with a fresh application, arguing the address question had been resolved.
What they walked into was worse than a disputed address.
State prosecutor Thami Mpekana told the court that Mogotsi had allegedly stayed in contact with key state witness Thandiwe Senokwane from inside custody, using his wife to reach her. Senokwane had already filed an intimidation case, saying she was visited at her home three times and pressured to submit false statements about Mogotsi’s address. The investigating officer further alleged that Mogotsi’s wife encouraged a neighbour to also submit a false statement.
Magistrate Annalise Tlhapi ruled that no new facts had been presented and that the interests of justice did not allow for his release.
Mogotsi appeared before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry days before his arrest, where he was accused of acting as a go-between for suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
He has denied all charges. His legal team says his continued detention is placing hardship on his wife and four children.
Pictured above: Brown Mogotsi outside the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court.
Image source: File
