The criminal case against self-proclaimed political fixer Brown Mogotsi has been postponed to 20 August after the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court dismissed an application seeking the identities of state witnesses.
Mogotsi appeared in court on Monday, where his legal team asked the court to compel the State to disclose the names and addresses of witnesses expected to testify against him.
His attorney, Makau William Sekgatja, argued that access to the information was necessary to allow Mogotsi to investigate the allegations and prepare his defence.
“Our client needs to know who these people are, saying whatever they’re saying against him,” Sekgatja told the court.
The State opposed the application, arguing that revealing the witnesses’ identities could place them at risk.
Prosecutors told the court that one witness had allegedly been approached by individuals linked to Mogotsi after their details were disclosed during earlier bail proceedings.
The prosecution further alleged that a criminal case had been opened in Mahikeng, North West, after a state witness reported being intimidated by Mogotsi’s wife. The State argued that these allegations demonstrated the potential risk of disclosing witness identities before trial.
The court dismissed the defence application, ruling that the identities of the State’s witnesses would not be disclosed at this stage of the proceedings.
Although the prosecution indicated it was ready to proceed with the trial, the defence said it was not yet in a position to continue, arguing that some witness statements had only been provided on Monday and that sections of the docket had been heavily redacted.
The matter was postponed to 20 August to allow the State to provide the remainder of the docket to the defence.
Mogotsi faces charges relating to allegations that he staged an assassination attempt on his own life in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, in 2025. He remains in custody after both his bail application and subsequent High Court appeal were unsuccessful.