North West businessman Brown Mogotsi denied bail again

North West businessman Brown Mogotsi will stay behind bars before his trial begins.

On Monday, the Johannesburg magistrate’s court rejected his bail appeal.

The court ruled that his defence team did not bring forward any new reasons to allow his release.

The court postponed the case to July 8, when his trial will start.

Magistrate Annelise Thlapi criticised the defence’s application.

She said the legal team was “twisting” and rephrasing information that had already been rejected during his first bail hearing last week.

The court said investigators could not verify Mogotsi’s home address, as the address listed on his official bank statements was insufficient.

Mogotsi’s lawyer, Makau Sekgatja, said they were disappointed with the ruling and felt the court ignored important new facts.

He said the defence team did its best to present new information, and Mogotsi has agreed to take the case further.

“Instead of waiting for a standard review, we plan to file an official appeal directly with the high court to challenge the magistrate’s decision.”

Sekgatja said the timeline depended on how fast they could get the court transcripts, though an urgent request can be processed within five days.

“We maintain that a witness affidavit from [Mogotsi’s neighbour] Maxwell Selukwane provided fresh, crucial evidence about Mogotsi’s address that was unavailable during the first application.”

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