Alleged political fixer Brown Mogotsi is due back in the Johannesburg Regional Court on Wednesday for the setting of a trial date after being denied bail twice over allegations that he staged an assassination attempt on himself.
Mogotsi remains in custody. He faces charges of perjury, defeating the ends of justice, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and discharging a firearm in a public place.
The charges stem from allegations that he staged his own assassination attempt in Vosloorus in November 2025.
His second bail application was dismissed on June 29, paving the way for the matter to proceed to trial.
Magistrate Annalise Tlhapi ruled that Mogotsi had failed to present any new facts that justified his release.
She found that the residential address submitted by the defence had already been considered during the initial bail application and was supported by the same information previously presented to the court, including a location pin and confirmation from his wife.
Mogotsi has been in custody since his arrest on May 15, just days after he appeared before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where he testified amid allegations that he acted as an intermediary between senior law enforcement officials and politically connected individuals.
According to the State, Mogotsi fired 11 rounds into his own vehicle before falsely reporting to police that unknown gunmen had ambushed him while he was driving through Vosloorus.
Investigators recovered 11 spent cartridge casings at the scene.
However, prosecutors say ballistic evidence and CCTV footage contradict Mogotsi’s version of events.
The State alleges forensic evidence shows the vehicle was stationary when it was shot and that no one was inside at the time.
CCTV footage also allegedly showed no other vehicles in the area, undermining Mogotsi’s claim that he had been followed and attacked.
Investigators further allege that the missing 9mm firearm used in the incident is linked to separate murder and attempted murder cases.
During the initial bail proceedings, the magistrate described the State’s evidence as “overwhelming”.
Mogotsi’s first bail application was dismissed on 4 June after the court found that he had failed to provide a verifiable residential address.
“The addresses provided by the applicant are not correct and do not belong to the applicant,” Tlhapi ruled.
The investigating officer testified that several addresses provided by Mogotsi, his wife and his alleged landlord had been investigated, but all were occupied by other people.
The court also heard allegations that Mogotsi attempted to bribe the investigating officer not to oppose his release on bail.
Based on those findings, Tlhapi ruled that there was a real risk Mogotsi could evade trial and that the interests of justice did not permit his release.
Instead of appealing that ruling, Mogotsi’s legal team, led by attorney Makau William Sekgatja, lodged a fresh bail application on June 22, arguing that new facts had emerged, including clarification of his residential address.
That application was also dismissed.
The matter returns to court on Wednesday, when a trial date is expected to be set.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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