A terrifying scene unfolded in Vosloorus on Monday night when politically connected businessman Brown Mogotsi came under heavy gunfire, narrowly escaping what appears to have been a planned assassination. Eyewitnesses described moments of sheer panic as Mogotsi allegedly leapt from his car and began shooting after being followed by unknown men.
According to a local woman who witnessed the shocking incident, the ordeal began just before 9pm in Extension 25. She said she and her partner were at home when a red car, later identified as Mogotsi’s vehicle, sped down the street before suddenly stopping.
“I was at home with my partner when a red car drove by at high speed and came to a halt. The man got out with a gun and started firing. My partner and I ran in different directions to hide. I was so terrified that I even left my shoes behind,” she recounted.
Mogotsi, a well-known businessman and a key figure in the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry — which investigates corruption, political interference, and criminality within the justice system — is believed to have been the target of the attack. The timing of the incident raised suspicions, as it occurred just days before his scheduled appearance at the commission.
When residents cautiously approached the scene minutes later, they found Mogotsi’s red vehicle riddled with bullet holes, its windows shattered on both sides. The engine was off, but the keys remained in the ignition, and the headlights were still on.
While onlookers gathered in confusion, a white VW Golf arrived and stopped behind the damaged car. Mogotsi reportedly stepped out of the Golf, shaken but unharmed. He allegedly told residents that he had been followed from Spruitview BP Garage by armed men in a white bakkie, and that he had fired shots in self-defense after realising he was being pursued.
“When we asked if we should call the police or an ambulance, he said no,” one community member told Sowetan. Another resident added that Mogotsi claimed he was on his way from Spruitview to Dawn Park in Boksburg when the attack occurred.
Community patrollers eventually arrived to secure the area, though locals complained that police only arrived about an hour and a half later.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that officers responded to the shooting. Mogotsi reportedly told police he was too traumatised to provide a statement immediately but promised to visit the Vosloorus Police Station the next day to open a case.
However, by 5pm on Tuesday, authorities said Mogotsi had not yet come forward to file an official report.
The brazen shooting has sent shockwaves through the Vosloorus community, with many questioning whether the attack was linked to Mogotsi’s involvement in the high-profile commission. Meanwhile, police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Residents remain shaken, describing the event as something “straight out of a movie” — a chilling reminder of how violence continues to grip those entangled in South Africa’s murky web of politics and power.
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