‘Brown Mogotsi attempted to bribe me’, says investigating officer

North West businessperson and police informant Brown Mogotsi allegedly attempted to bribe the investigating officer in his staged assassination case, the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court heard on Monday. Mogotsi was remanded in custody for a further three days pending verification of his address. State prosecutor Thami Mpekana said the address was submitted late and had initially sent police officers to the wrong residence. Mogotsi’s attorney, William Sekgatja, said his client lived in a rural area in Mmabatho in North West and a pin location would assist police in verifying the address by Thursday. Investigating officer Alfred Ondendaal submitted an affidavit, which was read out by Mpekana, detailing how Mogotsi allegedly attempted to influence him in order to get bail. Ondendaal alleged that Mogotsi had asked him: “Is there something that I can do for you not to oppose my bail?” “I immediately took offence because I understood it to be an attempt to offer a bribe in exchange for not opposing bail,” Ondendaal said. “I told him immediately that he must not think of taking that route with me.” The investigating officer said Mogotsi had later offered information about other crimes, which he had rejected. He said he opposed bail because Mogotsi’s account of the staged assassination incident was contradicted by the witness statement and CCTV footage. Mogotsi was arrested in May on charges relating to an allegedly staged assassination attempt. His arrest came shortly after he lost a bid to stop advocate Matthew Chaskalson from cross-examining him at the Madlanga commission. He faces charges of possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, discharging a firearm in a public place, defeating the ends of justice and perjury. Ondendaal said Mogotsi’s red Chevrolet has been found with 11 bullet casings next to the vehicle. “The ballistic evidence report shows that the vehicle was stationary when it was shot and that all the rounds that hit the vehicle originated from the s