JOHANNESBURG – A mysterious late-night shooting targeting controversial businessman Brown Mogotsi has taken a bizarre turn, with police now unable to locate him and openly questioning the authenticity of the entire incident.
Mogotsi, a known political fixer, narrowly escaped an apparent assassination attempt in Vosloorus on Monday night. According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), his small Chevrolet sedan was pierced by approximately 11 bullets around 10 pm.
In a strange twist, Mogotsi promised officers at the scene he would formally report the incident at the Vosloorus police station on Tuesday morning. He never showed up.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed on Tuesday that efforts to find Mogotsi have been unsuccessful. “Mr Mogotsi’s presence was critical,” Mathe stated, emphasising that the investigation would proceed with or without him.
But the plot thickened as Brigadier Mathe revealed crucial details that raised police suspicion. “Looking at the car, we don’t see any blood,” she told journalists. “We don’t see anything that suggests that Mr Mogotsi was injured in the process. Police officers who attended the crime scene yesterday have also confirmed that he was unscathed.”
This glaring lack of physical evidence has forced police to confront a tantalising question: was the attempted murder real, or an elaborate hoax?
When pressed on what would happen if the incident was staged, Brigadier Mathe was unequivocal: “Absolutely, that is defeating the ends of justice.” She explained that mobilising a full team of experts and detectives constituted a major diversion of police resources—a serious crime in itself.
“If we do find out that this was staged… we are not there yet. We are still investigating. We are hoping it was not staged and that this is genuine,” she added, leaving the door open but making the consequences clear.
The timing of the shooting is another critical piece of the puzzle. It occurred just hours after Mogotsi engaged with the high-stakes Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where he is slated to be a key witness into allegations of political interference and corruption within the country’s criminal justice system. The Commission has since expressed acute concern for his safety.
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