Brown Mogotsi was expected to testify before the committee investigating the fitness of suspended national police commissioner Senzo Mchunu, amid allegations of criminal infiltration within the justice system.

Mogotsi, however, maintains he has not yet received a formal subpoena. Concerns about his personal safety were raised early in his engagements with parliamentary officials, he said. He communicated directly with the secretary of the parliament regarding security arrangements but found the proposed measures inadequate.

“One of the first things that I raised was the issue of this security. I was talking to the secretary of the parliament. We have exchanged communication and so forth.

“Part of what I had requested from parliament … they could not meet that humble request, and for the sake of my security, there was no way I could go there.”

The parliamentary security offered to him is not classified and does not meet the standards of close protection he relies on, he added. 

Mogotsi explained his decision to employ specialised private security was influenced by past incidents involving informants linked to sensitive police operations.

He has previously been named by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as having unauthorised access to confidential police information. 

He has also been accused of being part of a campaign to disband the political killings task team, a specialised police unit tasked with investigating politically motivated murders.

Mkhwanazi’s allegations have sparked both parliamentary and judicial scrutiny, including investigations by the Madlanga commission.

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OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi