Key Madlanga Commission figure will be charged if attempted hit was staged

Controversial North West figure Oupa “Brown” Mogotsi’s failure to appear at the Vosloorus Police Station to make a statement on Tuesday has raised suspicion that the alleged attempted hit on his life was staged.

Witness statements and the South African Police Service’s (SAPS’) initial investigation have also cast doubt on Mogotsi’s claim that he was followed by a white bakkie and shot at.

Mogotsi is a key figure in the investigation into the alleged police and criminal justice system capture by criminal syndicates.

He has been implicated in several testimonies before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, having been served with a notice to respond to these allegations by appearing before the commission — which he said he would do.

National spokesperson Athlenda Mathe told journalists that if the incident were a setup, Mogotsi would be charged with wasting police resources.

“That is defeating the ends of justice,” she said at the Vosloorus Police Station.

“If we are pulling out police resources, mobilising various experts, members of Visible Policing, and detectives to attend a particular crime scene, that is a diversion of resources.”

In addition to Mogotsi’s failure to show up, a Vosloorus resident has come forward, claiming that she was traumatised after seeing a man get out of a red vehicle and start shooting at it before running away.

She said the car came to a halt outside her residence and parked in a deserted space facing the N3 highway, the Sowetan reported.

“He alighted from the car with a gun in hand and started shooting. My partner and I ran in different directions to seek refuge; I even left my shoes behind. I was scared,” she said.

According to residents who gathered at the scene, Mogotsi arrived in a white VW Golf, claiming he was heading towards the Victoria Hotel and had been followed.

Furthermore, the forensics team tasked with examining the vehicle found that three bullets struck the driver and passenger seats, according to EWN, yet Mogotsi remained unharmed.

SAPS have brought in Crime Scene Reconstruction Specialist Chris Mangena to work on the vehicle. Mangena has worked on a series of high-profile cases, including those involving Oscar Pistorius, Babita Deokaran, and Senzo Meyiwa.

Mathe told the SABC that police received reports from a private security officer about a shooting at around 10 p.m. on Monday, 3 October.

“When we arrived, we found Brown Mogotsi on the scene and interviewed him. He said that there was a white bakkie following him, which then began shooting at his vehicle,” Mathe said.

The spokesperson added that Crime Intelligence has already identified the owner of the bakkie.

“We then mobilised the necessary forensic teams to attend the scene, where they collected all available evidence to assist us in determining exactly what transpired.”

She said that the case has been classified as attempted murder and is being investigated accordingly.