Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has denied having any personal or professional ties with controversial figures Brown Mogotsi and Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala.
Mchunu’s denial coincides with the escalating speculation that politically connected criminal syndicates have compromised senior SA Police Service (SAPS) officials.
During his dramatic media briefing on Sunday, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, claimed interference in high-level investigations.
Mkhwanazi claimed that dealing with sensitive dockets, many of which implicated politicians, businesspeople, and rogue police officers, led to the disbandment of the political killings task team.
Alleged hit on Tebogo Thobejane
Among the names trending in political and online discussions are Matlala, an incarcerated businessman said to have benefited from a cancelled SAPS tender, and Brown Mogotsi, reportedly close to figures within the ruling party.
In April, Sunday World exclusively reported that Matlala, who is suspected of being the mastermind behind the gruesome murder of corruption whistleblower Babita Deokaran, was being criminally investigated in connection with an alleged hit on television actress and influencer Tebogo Thobejane.
At the time, Sunday World could not name the tycoon, as he was reportedly under criminal investigation for tender corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
In a public statement released on Wednesday, Mchunu’s spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi issued a direct denial on behalf of the minister.
“The minister has never met Mr Matlala, has never spoken to him, nor has the minister ever requested or received anything from him,” said Mogotsi.
She added that the minister had, in fact, initiated a review of the SAPS tender awarded to Matlala, which has since been terminated.
Brown Mogotsi is just a comrade
On Brown Mogotsi, she confirmed that Mchunu does know him but rejected any suggestion of a deeper connection.
“Whilst the minister knows and has met Mr Brown Mogotsi, he is just a comrade and not an associate of the minister. The minister has never requested or received anything from him.”
Social media users have questioned whether Mchunu previously denied knowing Brown in parliament. Video clips circulating online appear to show the minister distancing himself from Mogotsi entirely.
Sunday World pressed the minister’s spokesperson on whether he had lied to parliament or if the footage was misleading or altered.
“In the recording, the minister starts by mentioning that people have claimed to be working for him or have claimed to be related to him,” she said.
“The minister further says he is no associate of Mr Brown Mogotsi. In today’s statement, the minister confirms that Mr Mogotsi is not an associate of his; he is just a comrade.”
Grave national security concern
Public curiosity also turned to the minister’s surname, with many wondering if she is related to Mogotsi.
“I am not related to the said individual. I do not know him and have never met him,” she clarified.
The minister’s name has come under increasing scrutiny after Mkhwanazi’s explosive claims triggered calls for a judicial commission of inquiry into alleged criminal infiltration of SAPS leadership.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has labelled the allegations “a grave national security concern”.
As demands for clarity intensify, the public is watching closely to see who steps forward — and who stays silent.
