Mogotsi denies escape plot, accuses officer of ‘tricks and lies’ in fourth bail bid
Brown Mogotsi has accused the investigating officer in his case of becoming “personal and desperate” to keep him behind bars as he testified today, Tuesday, in his fourth bail application at the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.
The self-styled political fixer was answering State claims that he planned to escape on 20 August by disguising himself as a correctional services official. He denied the plot and asked why he had not been charged with attempted escape if such evidence existed.
“The tricks and lies of the investigating officer have reached the ceiling,” Mogotsi said. He claimed the officer received a “congratulatory call” after his arrest and said his prison privileges were never withdrawn, something he argued would have happened if warders truly suspected a jailbreak. He also denied that a uniform had been prepared for him.
The State still opposes bail. Mogotsi faces charges of perjury, defeating the ends of justice, and unlawful possession and discharge of a firearm, linked to an alleged staged assassination attempt in Vosloorus in November 2025. He was arrested in May after testifying at the Madlanga Commission. Earlier bail bids failed over flight-risk findings, unverified addresses, and alleged bribery and witness interference, all of which he denies.
The application has been postponed to 11 September. Mogotsi remains in custody.
