Brown Mogotsi says he ditched bodyguards to see sangoma on day of alleged hit

Mogotsi remains in custody while the court considers his latest bail application. Political fixer Oupa Brown Mogotsi has claimed that he deliberately left his bodyguards behind on the day he allegedly survived an attempted assassination. Mogotsi told the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court he wanted privacy because he was planning to consult a traditional healer, an explanation he gave while testifying in his latest bid for bail on Friday, 11 September 2026. He is accused of staging his own attempted assassination on 3 November 2025, a claim he has repeatedly denied. The state alleges Mogotsi was the one who opened fire on his Chevrolet Aveo in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, before telling authorities that he had come under attack from unidentified gunmen. He was subsequently arrested on 15 May and charged with defeating the ends of justice, perjury, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, as well as discharging a firearm in a public or municipal area. Brown Mogotsi bail on ‘new facts’ continues Mogotsi’s absence of a security detail has become part of the evidence surrounding the alleged shooting, with the accused saying on Friday that he did not want to be accompanied because of the nature of his plans that day. The former police informant told the court that his decision to leave his security detail behind was deliberate. “They went home. As an African man, when you go for certain things, you would perhaps try to be more private and not be seen. “Even that car, I was trying to disguise. I had to see a traditional healer in Vosloorus,” Mogotsi explained. His evidence also focused on CCTV footage that the prosecution alleges captures him shooting at his own vehicle. Mogotsi questioned whether the footage could conclusively identify him as the person allegedly firing the weapon. “That footage cannot show Brown Mogotsi in a mall or soccer stadium; it must show that I [acted] in a certain way, having a firearm and shooting in a public place,” he remarked. He also sought to explain why he waited several days before making a statement to police following the shooting. Mogotsi said his delay stemmed from fear. “To have been missed by so many bullets, having your life in danger – for everyone, it is so easy to say you should have just come tomorrow.” Future threats Mogotsi was questioned about his safety should he be released, particularly after he completed his evidence before the Madlanga commission. Asked whether he expected further threats to his life, Mogotsi responded that he could not predict what might happen but wanted to return to an ordinary life. “I cannot anticipate. I’ll prefer to keep things the way they were. I will still have security. I cannot know if there is any threats since I have been four months inside. “The best thing would be to keep security for myself,” he told the court. His legal team, led by Advocate Nthabiseng Mohomane and attorney William Sekgatja, is seeking his release from custody. State prosecutor Advocate Thami Mpekane argued that Mogotsi’s latest application did not contain any “new facts” that would justify another bail hearing. Mpekane further argued that Mogotsi remained a flight risk because he did not have a fixed address. Three previous bail applications dismissed Friday’s proceedings form part of Mogotsi’s fourth attempt to secure his release. His first bail application was dismissed on 4 June after concerns were raised about his residential address. Mogotsi had provided three different addresses, including 4544 Mohatlhga Street in Mmabatho, North West, which he identified as his primary residence. A second application based on “new facts” was rejected on 29 June after the magistrate found that no new evidence had been presented. Mogotsi subsequently approached the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg in an attempt to obtain leave to appeal the earlier decisions, but that application was dismissed on 29 July. Alleged escape plan also raised in court The state has also previously placed an alleged escape plan before the court. It was alleged that Mogotsi, who has denied the claim, intended to disguise himself as a correctional services official and escape from the court cells. An official at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre, commonly known as Sun City Prison, where Mogotsi is detained, reportedly alerted police to the alleged plan on the morning of 20 August. Mogotsi further stands accused of attempting to bribe investigating officer Alfred Odendaal. He remains in custody while the court considers his latest bail application. The court is expected to deliver judgment on 22 September.