Justice Madlanga Calls Mogotsi’s Medical Certificate Useless As Businessman’s Testimony Is Postponed
- Brown Mogotsi appeared briefly before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry to discuss his recent failure to testify
- Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga commented on the North West businessman's medical certificate that he produced to the commission
- Mogotsi also explained what happened to him and why he could not testify before, promising that it would never happen again
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG – Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has described Brown Mogotsi’s medical certificate as useless.
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry chairperson made the comment on 4 March 2026, when the political fixer appeared before the commission investigating allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption within the criminal justice system.
The allegations were made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi during an explosive press briefing on 6 July 2025. The KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner alleged that Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu and Deputy National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, worked together to shield criminal cartels in the country.
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Mogotsi was due to appear before the commission on Monday, 2 March 2026, but did not do so due to health reasons. He later produced a medical certificate to explain his absence. Mogotsi appeared before the commissioners briefly on 4 March, where they decided whether he should be charged with contempt for failing to appear.
What did the commissioners say?
Addressing Mogotsi, Justice Madlanga noted that his doctor’s note had no details about what was wrong with him and just said ‘medical condition.’
“I say it’s useless because all it says is medical condition. What on earth is that?” he asked.
He added that it was quite bothersome that the commission recently had numerous cases of witnesses producing medical certificates to get out of testifying. He noted that this impacted scheduling and the time the commission had left to complete its work.
Justice Madlanga added that the commission was now seriously considering subpoenaing doctors who provided the medical certificates. He also indicated that the commission would approach the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) to ascertain whether the medical certificates were correct.
In response, Mogotsi said that he was unwell and still not feeling better. He noted that he had always been compliant with the commission before and promised that he would not fail to show up to the commission again.
The commissioners agreed to reschedule his testimony to a future yet-to-be-announced date.
Other stories of ill Madlanga Commission witnesses
Briefly News reported that a few Madlanga Commission witnesses have taken ill, prompting a rescheduling of proceedings.
- In October 2025, the South African Police Service (SAPS) announced that an investigation into the illness of General Dumisani Khumalo would be launched.
- Deputy National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya's appearance had to be rescheduled after he fell ill as well.
- Witness F asked to be excused during his testimony on 4 February 2026, saying he was unwell and needed to see a doctor.
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Source: Briefly News
