Mchunu denies misleading parliament over relations with Brown Mogotsi
Senzo Mchunu has denied misleading Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police about his relationship with North West businessman, Brown Mogotsi.
The police minister, who is on special leave, is continuing his testimony before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee probing claims that include allegations that he tried to disband the Political Killings Task Team after it exposed a cartel whose members have links to people Mchunu is associated with.
The focus of the hearings on Tuesday morning has been on Mchunu’s alleged ties to Mogotsi, who has reportedly claimed to be an associate of the minister.
The controversy stems from Mchunu’s appearance before the portfolio committee in March where he denied knowing Mogotsi.
After the July press conference by KZN’s police commissioner in which Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi brought up the relationship, Mchunu issued a statement admitting to knowing Mogotsi, but said he was just a fellow comrade in the ANC.
Mchunu told the Ad Hoc Committee on Tuesday that during his appearance his March appearance in Parliament, he was shown a picture of a man by the Portfolio Committee and was asked if he knew him.
" The person that was on the photo was not Brown Mogotsi, even though I didn't say it that way in the portfolio committee, but it wasn't. That's why, on looking at the photo, I say, ‘I don't know this person’. There is no way that that reference was a lie because it was my story. I was sharing it with the portfolio committee."
Mchunu has accused Mkhwanazi of twisting the story and pushing a narrative during his explosive July press briefing, Mkhwanazi twisted the story.
" He says, ‘Minister Mchunu said he does know Brown in Parliament’, which I never said. But it tells the public something twisted that I said in Parliament I don't know Mogotsi, when I actually said, I don't know the person who was on the [photo], not Mogotsi. He told that to fit his narrative if he was not making a genuine error on his part."
Mchunu says he’s known Mogotsi as a comrade since 2017. He says they occasionally speak but maintains they do not share a personal relationship.
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