By Johnathan Paoli
Suspended acting head of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) and deputy chief, Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi, is currently testifying before the Madlanga Commission.
He is expected to face an extensive list of allegations involving unlawful conduct, questionable appointments, and claims that senior leaders shielded him from accountability.
Mkhwanazi, long portrayed by witnesses as a law unto himself within the EMPD, is accused of evading disciplinary action for years despite multiple criminal probes and internal findings against him.
Central to the case is the claim that former Ekurhuleni City Manager Dr Imogen Mashazi protected him from any meaningful oversight – an accusation she strongly denies – even as testimony before the commission paints a very different picture.
A key focus of Wednesday’s proceedings will be Mkhwanazi’s alleged 2021 decision to unlawfully sign memorandums of understanding with two companies linked to tender tycoon Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
These arrangements allowed Matlala’s private security and medical vehicles to be registered as municipal vehicles and fitted with blue lights, giving his convoys the appearance of official EMPD escorts.
Evidence previously presented showed that Mkhwanazi authorised the installation of the state-owned blue lights on Matlala’s cars, even though Matlala was already facing serious criminal charges, including attempted murder.
Former head of employee relations, Xolani Nciza, testified that disciplinary charges against Mkhwanazi relating to the Matlala deal were halted in June 2023, alleging that Mashazi intervened to prevent any consequences.
In addition to the blue-light saga, Mkhwanazi is expected to answer questions about a troubling case involving a Brakpan man whose body was found dumped in a dam near Nigel. The commission has heard allegations that Mkhwanazi was called to the deceased’s home to assist EMPD members and private security personnel in cleaning up the murder scene.
He is further accused of unlawfully pushing through 55 senior appointments and promotions within the EMPD without following due process, reinforcing testimony that he ran what some witnesses have described as a rogue unit inside the metro police.
Mkhwanazi was officially suspended by the City of Ekurhuleni on 11 November, following mounting pressure and accumulating allegations ventilated at the commission.
The commission’s evidence leader, senior counsel Advocate Mahlape Sello SC, supported by fellow evidence leader Advocate Ofentse Motlhasedi, will lead Mkhwanazi through the extensive claims against him as he takes the stand.
INSIDE POLITICS