By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The political fixer Oupa Brown Mogotsi will remain behind bars for at least three more nights after the Johannesburg Magistrate Court postponed his bail hearing to Thursday, to allow the authorities to verify his North West address.
Mogotsi appeared in court on Monday insisting he is innocent and claiming the state’s case is built on speculation and weak evidence.
He was arrested two weeks ago and faces charges including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a firearm in a built-up area, defeating the ends of justice, and perjury.
The State accuses Mogotsi of staging his own assassination attempt in Vosloorus in November last year and has opposed bail, arguing that he supplied false residential addresses and could abscond if released.
State prosecutor Advocate Thami Mpekana told the court that police officers travelled to an address in Mmabatho, North West, supplied through Mogotsi’s legal team, only to be told he did not live there.
“At the address, I found Thandiwe, and I enquired about Mogotsi. She told me the applicant does not reside at the address,” Mpekana read from the investigating officer’s affidavit.
The state further alleged that investigators repeatedly failed to reach Mogotsi before his appearance at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and claimed he previously provided false address details during a 2007 investigation.
Mpekana also told the court that he allegedly attempted to bribe the investigating officer in the case.
The alleged bribery bid took place a day after Mogotsi was arrested, and his statement and fingerprints were already taken.
Mogotsi’s lawyer, William Sekgatja, rejected the allegations, insisting authorities had been given accurate information.
Sekgatja accused prosecutors of unnecessarily delaying proceedings, arguing that the address verification process had already been completed within two days during the previous week.
He told the court that Mogotsi was a family man with a wife and four children, all of whom were financially dependent on him, and that his continued incarceration would have a severe impact on his family.
In a supplementary affidavit read before court, Mogotsi rejected claims that he attempted to bribe the investigating officer.
Mogotsi will return to the dock on Thursday when the magistrate will decide whether to release him on bail. He had three previous convictions, including two for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, as well as offences relating to negligent and reckless driving.