WATCH | Mogotsi tells Madlanga inquiry a twisted tale of spying, trickery

On his first day of testifying at the Madlanga commission, alleged ANC fixer-cum-self-proclaimed agent of police intelligence Brown Mogotsi stunned the sitting with hearsay evidence.

Some of his evidence was based on his handler, his sources, and his network of informants.

Within minutes of taking the seat, Mogotsi dropped the first surprise when he claimed to have had links with the ANC’s anti-apartheid military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), between 1993 and 1995. In fact, MK’s operations were suspended in 1990 and the unit was officially disbanded in 1994 ahead of the country’s first democratic elections in April 1994.

Mogotsi further claimed to having later assumed the role of police agent whose job was to gather intelligence at the instruction of his handler.

He described his role as a link between the intelligence service and informants or undercover operatives.

Mogotsi told the commission that in December 2023 he received information from his source that KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini had been recruited and were working for the CIA as agents.

Chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga asked Mogotsi if he would agree that the information was hearsay. Mogotsi replied that in the “intelligence world”, even hearsay was taken seriously.

Madlanga then repeated the question in SeTswana to ascertain if Mogotsi had understood him.

“I have asked my co-commissioners what hearsay is in vernac, and they say ‘ke Mabarebare’ (rumours), so would you agree that it is 'Mabarebare’?

“Ke ona” (it is),“ Mogotsi responded with a chuckle.

He further told the commission that while investigating the CIA allegations, he learned from his police informant that alleged cartel member Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala had been awarded an irregular R360m police tender that then police minister Bheki Cele had an interest in.

He said he had then informed suspended deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya and continued to investigate Matlala’s tender and Mkhwanazi’s alleged CIA links.

Mogotsi said another informant, an Uber driver, had told him that Matlala had landed in KZN and he had followed him to Gen Mkhwanazi’s home.

He said, at the time, he didn’t know that the house belonged to Mkhwanazi.

“It was only when Matlala phoned me, after the press conference of 6 July 2025 held by Mkhwanazi, that I recalled that he had made reference to travelling to Durban to meet a person who could solve all his difficulties.

“He [Matlala] confirmed he attended to Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi’s residence in Umhlanga Ridge and that he was indeed the person with whom he met.

“Matlala further confirmed that during that meeting he gave Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi an amount of money; he did not say how much and for what reason,” he said.

Matlala’s company, Medicare24 Tshwane District, was awarded the R360m police tender in 2024 to provide health risk management services to SAPS. The procurement was alleged to have irregularities and inconsistencies with the bidding process. The contract was terminated in May 2025 due to failure to meet contractual expectations.

Mogotsi claimed that Matlala paid R7m to national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola and Cele. He alleged that the two had helped Matlala to secure the tender.

Mogotsi claimed that he also contacted the recently deceased former police minister, Nathi Mthethwa, to ask him if Mkhwanazi had links to the CIA.

He said Mthethwa gave him the number of a certain “George” based in Kenya and told him that George would tell him more about CIA operations in SA.

He said he had travelled to Kenya to meet with George, who gave him more information about CIA operations in SA. He also claimed that the CIA allegation had prompted Mkhwanazi’s removal as the acting national commissioner in 2012.

During his July 6 press conference, Mkhwanazi alleged that Mogotsi was an associate of suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu and had sensitive police information that Mogotsi shared with him on WhatsApp.

Responding to this yesterday, Mogotsi said that was an image he wanted Mkhwanazi to have.

“In the same way as I wanted to create a perception and a belief in the mind of Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi, I also wanted to create perceptions in the mind of Matlala, but for different purposes. Both, however, would be [in] the execution of my task received from my handler at Crime Intelligence.

“I did send the WhatsApp message to Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi on 30 September 2024 and attached documents, being the [police] OB (occurrence book) register and a letter.

“This was my opening communication to Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi. The documents were attached to give the message the necessary ‘weight’ and to get his attention in an attempt to gain his trust. This was in line with my modus operandi as a contact agent,” he said.

Mogotsi said some of the messages that he sent to Matlala under the pretense that he was close to Mchunu were fabricated and that he does not have a relationship with Mchunu.

“I deny that I had any personal relationship of any kind with him. I was neither an associate nor a friend of Mchunu. I regarded him, and still do, as a comrade,” he said.

He conceded to having lied about the whereabouts of Mchunu to Matlala during the ANC January 8 celebrations, when he was seeking fundraising money from Matlala.

Mogotsi also denied being the author of the text that informed Matlala that he was setting up a meeting between him and Mchunu.

Sowetan