Brown Mogotsi grilled on his alleged advance knowledge of the PKTT’s disbandment

On Thursday, 20 November 2025, the Madlanga Commission heard further revelations on the alleged problematic links between controversial ANC-aligned North West businessman Brown Mogotsi, sidelined police minister Senzo Mchunu and alleged “Big Five” cartel figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

During Mogotsi’s cross-examination on Thursday, 20 November, evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson SC meticulously laid out – step by step – how messages between Mchunu and Mogotsi were relayed to Matlala.

Chaskalson told Mogotsi that the disbandment letter of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was sent from the office of Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde, to national commissioner Fannie Masemola’s office at 5.20pm on 31 December 2024.

The letter was shared on social media on 2 January 2025, but Chaskalson told the commission that Mogotsi knew about the PKTT’s disbandment much earlier – a claim Mogotsi vehemently denied.

‘Middleman’

Mogotsi has been accused of being the middleman between Mchunu and Matlala, a key link in the alleged criminal infiltration of law enforcement and political circles, claims first made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in July 2025.

Read more: Brown Mogotsi slammed as a liar as ‘fanciful’ testimony faces cross-examination

Mogotsi took the stand on Tuesday, 18 November and made a series of claims, including that he was a Crime Intelligence informant, which the commission heard was confirmed on Thursday, although his handler is yet to provide testimony. He also alleged, without any evidence, that Mkhwanazi and Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini were recruited by the CIA.

Read more: From CIA to Crime Intelligence: Brown Mogotsi’s testimony in five sensational claims

The first Signal messages between Mogotsi and Mchunu appear in September 2024 and continue into January 2025. Among the topics Mogotsi said they discussed was the zama zama situation in Stilfontein.

The commission heard of occasions when Mogotsi messaged Matlala almost instantly after messaging Mchunu.

On Tuesday, 21 October 2025, Mchunu testified in the parliamentary ad hoc committee hearing into the same allegations, explicitly denying having any relationship with Gauteng organised crime accused Matlala.

As for Mogotsi, Mchunu insisted that even though he had known the businessman since 2017, he viewed Mogotsi merely as a “comrade”.

“I’ve never enquired about his personal life because we just occasionally talk about this and that,” Mchunu said.

Advance knowledge

Chaskalson presented multiple Signal and WhatsApp chats between Mogotsi and Mchunu, many of which were forwarded to Matlala.

The standout moment was the message Mogotsi sent to Matlala nearly six hours before Mchunu’s official disbandment letter was sent to Masemola’s office on 31 December 2025. Masemola was on leave at the time. Mchunu has testified in Parliament that he wrote the letter himself, without outside influence.

Chaskalson put it to Mogotsi: “If you go to your chats at 11.32 that morning, almost six hours before the letter went out, you were telling Matlala that today is D-Day on the other side, and that he must stand back for his safety and his business.”

In response, Matlala messaged: “This won’t change my contribution towards the minister, although I made a conscious decision and I am not backing down. Whatever help the minister needs from my side, I will be happy to assist. I just don’t want to fight losing battles.”

Mogotsi claimed that the discussion with Matlala on 31 December 2024 had nothing to do with the looming disbandment of the PKTT, but rather the deadline for the ANC’s 8 January 2025 contribution that had to be paid “today”.

The commission has heard testimony that Matlala told police he contributed R500,000 towards Mchunu’s ANC presidency election campaign, linked to the 8 January event.

Explanation rejected

Chaskalson rejected Mogotsi’s explanation, arguing that the messages clearly pointed not to fundraising plans, but to anticipation of the disbandment letter.

Chaskalson said that on 1 January 2025 at 1.51pm there was a WhatsApp message – which Mogotsi denied sending – that read: “Good day. I’ve arranged a meeting with Shadrack Sibiya and the Minister and must have a solution.”

Chaskalson said, “I have to put it to you that your denial is unsustainable, but in due course we will present the technical evidence showing that this text could not have been planted among the WhatsApp messages.”

On 1 January 2025 at 10.38pm, Mogotsi messaged Matlala, telling him that “the task team that came to your house and harassed you has been dissolved/disbanded”.

Mogotsi’s version is that he sent this message only after seeing the disbandment letter circulating on social media. But that could not be true, Chaskalson argued, putting it to Mogotsi that his evidence was false.

“We have done a comprehensive search on public social media, and the earliest that any public source announced the disbandment decision was when the journalist who scooped the story posted about the disbandment decision on X at 9.32pm on 2 January 2025.

“I’m not accusing you of leaking it, I’m putting to you were aware of the information before it was publicly available on social media,” he said.

He further stressed that if Mogotsi could identify the source from which he claims to have obtained the disbandment letter, the commission would be very interested to hear it, as there was no evidence of any publicly available platform where the letter appeared.

“I don’t know if I will be able to find it. My only wish is that maybe this PKTT should now be given to Limpopo or Gauteng to run, because for it to be based in KZN is a problem,” Mogotsi responded.

The Madlanga Commission has adjourned until Tuesday, 25 November. Mogotsi’s testimony remains incomplete, with a new date still to be announced. DM