He called me before he made explosive allegations: Brown Mogotsi hits back at Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi

North West businessman Brown Mogotsi, a “comrade” of Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, has broken his silence and denied explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, saying the “timing is very inappropriate”.

Mogotsi is at the center of Mkhwanazi’s claims that senior political figures and top police officials were involved in the controversial disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team in KZN.

He criticised the timing of Mkhwanazi’s recent media briefing.

“The timing is very inappropriate,” Mogotsi said in an exclusive interview with SABC News.

“He said I sent him a message last year, but only after the arrest of five generals and some brigadiers did he call a press conference.”

Mogotsi confirmed that he was not a police officer.

“No, I’m not a police officer. I’ve been around, my sister. With my underground experience or underground operations, I’ll be able to share on the right platform who Brown Mogotsi really is.”

Mogotsi, now under intense scrutiny over alleged political interference and ties to organized crime, was named by Mkhwanazi in a bombshell briefing in Durban. 

Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of unauthorised interference in police operations and maintaining contact with criminal syndicates.

He also alleged that Mchunu ordered the disbandment of the task team in March 2025 and the withdrawal of 121 active dockets, many tied to political assassinations. 

“These dockets have been sitting idle at head office ever since,” he said.

He presented internal SAPS communications, WhatsApp messages, and forensic cellphone data as evidence of what he described as a coordinated effort to shut down the unit.

Mkhwanazi also claimed Mogotsi had direct contact with individuals under investigation, including Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a businessman awarded a R360 million police contract in 2024. 

According to Mkhwanazi, Mogotsi assured Matlala via WhatsApp that the unit had been dissolved and that Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, SAPS deputy national commissioner for crime detection, had taken control of the case files.

Evidence allegedly also linked Mogotsi, Mchunu, and Matlala through financial transactions tied to political events and a gala dinner.

“The disbandment of the task team was not a mistake. It was a deliberate attempt to shield an organized criminal syndicate with deep roots in our law enforcement, political, and judicial systems,” Mkhwanazi said.

Since its establishment in July 2018, the Political Killings Task Team investigated 612 dockets, secured over 100 convictions, and helped crack syndicate-linked murders in Gauteng and at the University of Fort Hare.

Mkhwanazi said pressure to disband the unit grew after its ballistic experts linked weapons found in Gauteng to several high-profile killings, including cases involving South African musicians. 

Shortly after, Mchunu allegedly ordered the unit disbanded and froze intelligence appointments.

In a December 2024 letter to National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola, Mchunu stated the unit, created following the Moerane Commission report, had outlived its usefulness. 

However, Masemola later denied authorising the unit's closure.

In March, Mchunu told Parliament he did not know Mogotsi. But on July 9, he acknowledged their relationship.

“He is just a comrade, not an associate. I’ve never requested or received anything from him,” Mchunu said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Mogotsi denied receiving police information from Mchunu and insisted the data he referenced came from elsewhere.

“This environment - information comes to you,” he said. “The proper platform will give me an opportunity to say where this and this come from.”

Mogotsi also criticised the SAPS chain of command and raised concerns about one senior officer, Major General Philani Lushaba, claiming he opened a false housebreaking case after a woman he brought home from a nightclub allegedly disappeared with a state laptop and phone.

“I’m not questioning his age or position, but there are people with similar qualifications who have served 30 years and remain captains or warrant officers,” Mogotsi said.

Last month, IOL News reported that SAPS Crime Intelligence Chief Operations Officer (CFO) Lushaba allegedly vanished as the NPA’s Investigating Directorate prepared to question him over financial misconduct. 

The investigation centers on two property deals worth over R45 million - a R22.7 million boutique hotel in Pretoria North and a R22.8 million commercial property in Berea, Durban.

Mogotsi reiterated that the allegations raised by Mkhwanazi were poorly timed.

“You’ll be surprised… Just before his press conference, he called me. He spoke about the need to save the country and said any officer could now use a J-50 warrant to arrest another,” he said. 

“So I was very surprised on Sunday to hear him bringing this thing again.”

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to address the nation at 7pm on Sunday. 

Opposition parties have called for Mchunu’s dismissal, with the Democratic Alliance urging Ramaphosa to act as he did with expelling its deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Andrew Whitfield for an unauthorised trip.

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