Chief of staff in the police ministry, Cedric Nkabinde, has denied communicating with Brown Mogotsi on WhatsApp, saying the controversial businessman would send “stupid” messages that did not need engagement.
Nkabinde was testifying before the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating state security matters related to the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
During the proceedings, evidence leader Advocate Norman Arendse SC presented the messages showing that Mogotsi communicated with him earlier this year.
Nkabinde denies knowledge of messages
Nkabinde denied knowledge of these messages, saying he only knew Mogotsi through suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu when he was asked to facilitate a meeting between them and some other comrades.
Nkabinde stated that he was not present at the meeting, which took place at Mchunu’s official residence in Pretoria.
He said after he received the number from Mchunu, Mogotsi would send him messages on what he referred to as breaking news, but he would not entertain such messages.
He added that he has never seen the messages presented in the committee before.
“I recall some messages from Brown Mogotsi; he does send some messages. The one I recall is a message about Khan,” Nkabinde said.
“What I can say to describe the character [is that he] is a person who likes to break news; that’s how I can describe him.
“He is a person who will tell the story before you know it. Whatever is on the news, he forwards it to everyone he knows.
So, I admit that there are some stupid messages, and I would not even respond to them. But in specific to these, I cannot recall this thing [Mogotsi] talking to me.”
Committee takes messages seriously
Arendse said they received WhatsApp messages as information before the committee and stressed that Nkabinde’s denying the messages does not mean they should be scrapped as evidence.
He said there are still witnesses expected to appear before the committee who will testify about the information.
Among these witnesses is crime intelligence boss Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, who has given evidence before the Madlanga commission on the same messages.
“But we can’t simply take Lt-Gen Khumalo’s affidavit or evidence he has given in another commission of inquiry and put it before the witness,” Arendse said.
“Therefore, we will be able to assess whether or not Mr Nkabinde’s responses today were truthful or appropriate when Lt-Gen Khumalo, who I believe is on our list to call at some point, does so.
“It’s definitely not off the table; we have brought it up with the witness because we take these WhatsApp messages that were directed to us seriously.”
