- Brown Mogotsi returns to the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court after being denied bail four times on firearm and perjury charges.
- Police captain Laurance Makgotloe faces claims he manipulated a ballistics report linked to an AK-47 tied to 30 other murders.
Publish time: 2026-10-01 08:00
Three high profile Gauteng court cases are in the spotlight this week, involving self proclaimed political fixer Brown Mogotsi, police captain Laurance Makgotloe, and suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, whose own bail application we have covered in detail separately.
Mogotsi returns after fourth bail blow
Mogotsi is expected back in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court as his case moves closer to trial. He faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, firing a gun in a built up area, perjury and defeating the ends of justice. The charges stem from what the state says was a staged assassination attempt in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, last year.
Mogotsi has been denied bail four times. During his previous appearance, the court ruled that alternative residential addresses he presented did not amount to new facts. The court also raised concerns about a possible escape from the court cells and rejected Mogotsi’s claim that the investigating officer had a personal vendetta against him. The case could be transferred to the High Court.
Police captain faces ballistics claims
Makgotloe is back before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court over claims that he manipulated ballistics reports linked to several high profile cases. He is out on R15,000 bail and has been barred from returning to his workplace in Silverton while the case continues.
The case includes claims of serious errors and missing information in a ballistics report linked to the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart. An AK-47 recovered in connection with Swart’s killing has reportedly been linked to 30 other high profile murders, including an attempted murder case involving alleged criminal kingpin Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. The state says new evidence has emerged and is being investigated.
