Brown Mogotsi’s explosive testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has sent shockwaves through South Africa’s security and political circles, introducing a dramatic new layer to long-standing tensions within the country’s policing leadership. Mogotsi alleged that former Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa once confided in him that he believed former acting national police commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi might be “working with the CIA,” a claim never before publicly associated with the high-ranking officer.
According to Mogotsi, the former minister treated the suspicion with such gravity that he allegedly dispatched him on a covert mission to Kenya in September this year. The purpose of the trip, Mogotsi said, was to meet a source who purported to have intelligence linking foreign operatives to South Africa’s security structures. Mogotsi described the journey as entirely informal and off the books, insisting that he personally financed the flights, accommodation, and all related expenses because the alleged intelligence matter was considered too sensitive to pass through official channels.
The commission room reportedly fell silent as Mogotsi recounted details of the secretive assignment, emphasizing that the Kenyan contact was introduced as someone in possession of actionable information. While he declined to disclose what was shared during the meeting, he stated that he ultimately handed the material to what he termed the appropriate authorities.
Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga questioned why such a mission, if genuinely urgent, bypassed formal reporting avenues within the intelligence oversight framework. Mogotsi maintained that he acted directly on instructions and believed the unconventional route was justified.
According to Mogotsi, the former minister treated the suspicion with such gravity that he allegedly dispatched him on a covert mission to Kenya in September this year. The purpose of the trip, Mogotsi said, was to meet a source who purported to have intelligence linking foreign operatives to South Africa’s security structures. Mogotsi described the journey as entirely informal and off the books, insisting that he personally financed the flights, accommodation, and all related expenses because the alleged intelligence matter was considered too sensitive to pass through official channels.
The commission room reportedly fell silent as Mogotsi recounted details of the secretive assignment, emphasizing that the Kenyan contact was introduced as someone in possession of actionable information. While he declined to disclose what was shared during the meeting, he stated that he ultimately handed the material to what he termed the appropriate authorities.
Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga questioned why such a mission, if genuinely urgent, bypassed formal reporting avenues within the intelligence oversight framework. Mogotsi maintained that he acted directly on instructions and believed the unconventional route was justified.