Mogotsi’s claims of intelligence links and political conspiracies collapsed as documents and records disproved his testimony.
- Under tough questioning, he repeatedly admitted to lying, calling much of his information mere ‘mabarebare’.
- Commissioners warned that his unverified allegations misled the inquiry and lacked any evidence or corroboration.
Oupa “Brown” Mogotsi arrived at the Madlanga commission projecting the confidence of a man who believed he was about to reveal earth-shaking secrets.
He introduced himself as a seasoned intelligence operative who had infiltrated powerful networks and was now prepared to expose them. But the performance unravelled almost immediately once Advocate Matthew Chaskalson SC began to test his claims against verifiable facts.
Commissioners Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, Advocate Sandile Khumalo and Advocate Sesi Baloyi dissected every assertion he made.
Each time a document, WhatsApp printout or official record was placed before him, another part of his story collapsed. The word he used to describe hearsay, ‘mabarebare’, gradually came to represent his entire testimony.
The fake job in the police minister’s office
One of Mogotsi’s central claims was that he was a government insider. In his sworn affidavit, he stated that he was a government employee working under the police department. This was meant to give authority to the allegations he later presented.
Chaskalson presented official employment records which showed that Mogotsi had never held any position in the department.
Justice Madlanga asked him directly what an oath meant to him. Unable to escape the contradiction, Mogotsi sighed and admitted: “Commissioners, I lied under oath. It was necessary for the mission.”
Chaskalson responded sharply: “So you are a professional liar.”
That exchange set the tone for the rest of the proceedings.
Bribery claims with no evidence
Mogotsi also claimed that businessperson Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala had paid millions in bribes to senior SA Police Service (SAPS) generals, including police commissioner General Fannie Masemola.
The commission examined WhatsApp messages and phone records involving Matlala. None of these communications mentioned bribes. Instead, payments to other police officials were found but not those that Mogotsi implicated.
When confronted with this, Mogotsi backtracked.
Baloyi reprimanded him for using the commission to spread allegations he could not verify.
Later, Chaskalson summarised the problem clearly.
“If Matlala was paying massive bribes to General Masemola or Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi, I would expect to see some sign of this in his chats. I see signs of relationships with many other generals, but not them.”
The CIA recruited the Zulu king
One of the most astonishing claims Mogotsi presented was the assertion that Mkhwanazi and King Misuzulu kaZwelithini had been recruited by the CIA. When asked for supporting evidence, he said he had none and relied only on information he had “received”.
Madlanga questioned him: “What is hearsay called in your language?”
Mogotsi replied: “Mabarebare.”
Madlanga delivered the conclusion.
The imaginary Richards Bay Coal Terminal shutdown
Mogotsi also warned the commission about an imminent shutdown of the Richards Bay Coal Terminal. He claimed the threat was linked to alleged Israeli government involvement in the coal export system.
Chaskalson presented verified ownership records showing there was no Israeli shareholding in the terminal. He noted that the facility had actually expanded capacity since 2023.
Mogotsi had no response.
The unknown ‘breakthrough’ message
A WhatsApp message Mogotsi had sent to suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu saying “we have a breakthrough” was presented as evidence of active intelligence operations.
But when commissioners asked him what the breakthrough referred to, he simply said: “I do not know and do not remember.”
This further weakened the credibility of his claim that he was involved in intelligence operations.
‘Lying was my job’
As more inconsistencies emerged, Mogotsi attempted to justify his behaviour by claiming he had been trained to lie as part of undercover work.
“Yes, I lied in executing my duties. I took an oath knowing it was a lie,” he said. He referred to this as “legend building”.
Justice Madlanga asked whether the oath he took at the commission meant anything to him. Mogotsi responded: “No comment, commissioners.”
Advocate Baloyi pointed out that any real intelligence work requires vetting, security clearance and a verified employment trail, none of which existed for Mogotsi.
Contradictions in his background
Earlier in the week, Mogotsi faced questions about his education and recruitment. When asked how he joined intelligence structures after 1994 without a matric or security clearance, he replied: “Matric is a piece of paper. Experience is the real certificate.”
He then claimed he began intelligence work in Umkhonto weSizwe self defence units in the early 1990s.
Advocate Khumalo noted that Mogotsi would have been 13 years old at the time. Mogotsi attempted to resolve this by saying that the department of home affairs had recorded his birth year incorrectly.
“Even my mother knows. The ID is wrong,” Mogotsi said.
The old ID book moment
In an attempt to prove his connection to the Crime Intelligence, Mogotsi produced a photocopy of his green ID book, dated 1979. “This is my ID. It is the one I used to register with Crime Intelligence under General [Jacob] Zuma.”
The commission confirmed the ID belonged to him but noted that nothing in the record linked it to any intelligence employment.
Advocate Baloyi summarised this neatly: “You are bringing allegations but cannot provide proof.”
Mogotsi responded: “That is my job, commissioners. I give intelligence information which must be converted into evidence.”
No handlers appeared. No documents were submitted. None of his claims was corroborated.
Knowledge of docket movements
Another claim involved his apparent insider knowledge that certain dockets from KwaZulu-Natal would eventually move to the office of suspended deputy police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. Even SAPS generals admitted the transfer had been unexpected.
Mogotsi insisted he simply used “common sense”, although he repeatedly hinted that someone might have tipped him off. When pressed, he avoided giving a direct answer.
Baloyi eventually said: “Why do you not just admit that someone told you the dockets were going to General Sibiya?”
A narrative that could not stand
By the end of his testimony, Mogotsi appeared overwhelmed by the contradictions he had created. The allegations of CIA recruitment, the multimillion-rand bribes, the warnings about the coal terminal, the heroic intelligence background and the stories of undercover operations all dissolved under scrutiny. What remained was a pattern of improvisation, retractions and the repeated acknowledgement that much of what he was saying was “mabarebare”.
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