Johannesburg, South Africa – North West businessman Brown Mogotsi has fired back at explosive allegations from KwaZulu-Natal’s top police commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, labelling the accusations of political interference as having “inappropriate timing.” Mogotsi stands at the centre of a storm following Mkhwanazi’s claims that he, alongside Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, orchestrated the shutdown of a critical task team investigating political assassinations.
In a bombshell media briefing in Durban, Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi accused senior political and police figures of deliberately dismantling the KZN Political Killings Task Team to protect a powerful criminal syndicate. He alleged that Minister Mchunu ordered the unit’s closure in March 2025 and named Mogotsi, a self-described “comrade” of the minister, as a key figure in the affair.
Mkhwanazi presented what he claimed was evidence, including WhatsApp messages, showing Mogotsi assuring a businessman under investigation, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, that the task team was dissolved. “The disbandment of the task team was not a mistake. It was a deliberate attempt to shield an organized criminal syndicate with deep roots in our law enforcement, political, and judicial systems,” Mkhwanazi stated.
In an exclusive interview with SABC News, Mogotsi denied the allegations and questioned Mkhwanazi’s motives. “The timing is very inappropriate,” Mogotsi said. “He said I sent him a message last year, but only after the arrest of five generals and some brigadiers did he call a press conference.”
Mogotsi further claimed that Mkhwanazi had contacted him just before making the allegations public. “You’ll be surprised… Just before his press conference, he called me. He spoke about the need to save the country,” Mogotsi revealed.
While confirming he is not a police officer, Mogotsi alluded to a clandestine past. “With my underground experience or underground operations, I’ll be able to share on the right platform who Brown Mogotsi really is.”
The controversy has also engulfed Minister Mchunu, who initially told Parliament in March that he did not know Mogotsi. However, on July 9, he acknowledged a connection, stating, “He is just a comrade, not an associate. I’ve never requested or received anything from him.” This followed Mkhwanazi’s accusation that Mchunu had ordered the task team’s disbandment, a directive National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola later denied authorising.
The Political Killings Task Team, established in 2018, had a formidable record, investigating over 600 dockets and securing more than 100 convictions, including cracking murder syndicates at the University of Fort Hare. According to Mkhwanazi, pressure to dissolve the unit intensified after its ballistic experts linked weapons to several high-profile murders in Gauteng.
The political fallout has been swift, with opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance, calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to dismiss Minister Mchunu. The nation now awaits a scheduled address by the President at 7 pm on Sunday, where he is expected to address the crisis shaking the foundations of the country’s law enforcement.