Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) suspended deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi is expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice.
Mkhwanazi’s arrest on Saturday followed damning allegations that emerged during his three days of testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, linking him to robbery, murder, corruption, and kidnapping claims.
Police stated that his arrest was not linked to evidence presented at the commission regarding the death of suspected robber Emmanuel Mbense or the blue light scandal.
On Sunday police confirmed the arrest of another senior Ekurhuleni municipal official in connection with the same investigation.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the 40-year-old official was arrested in Johannesburg Sunday morning.
“He faces the same charges of fraud, corruption, and defeating and/or obstructing the ends of justice,” Mathe said.
The accused is expected to appear before the same court Monday.
ActionSA meanwhile called for Mkhwanazi’s immediate dismissal from the City of Ekurhuleni.
ActionSA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Xolani Khumalo said the city can no longer afford to retain officials facing such serious allegations, warning that continued employment would further damage public trust.
“Mkhwanazi has brought both the EMPD and the City of Ekurhuleni into disrepute. He has forfeited all credibility and cannot remain in the city's employ at taxpayers’ expense. The city manager must act without delay and terminate his employment,” Khumalo said.
The DA in Ekurhuleni welcomed Mkhwanazi's arrest, stating it follows years of sustained effort by the DA to root out corruption in the city.
The Activists and Citizens Forum said the arrest should have happened much earlier, describing it as overdue but necessary.
“The arrest of Julius Mkhwanazi is long overdue. Nonetheless, we welcome this arrest,” said the forum’s Dennis Bloem.
“We have said that the serious allegations from various witnesses before the Madlanga Commission have painted a very disturbing and dangerous picture of the Deputy Chief of EMPD, Julius Mkhwanazi, as a criminal in police uniform,” Bloem said.
He added that the allegations, which include alleged links to criminal syndicates and serious violent crimes, had shocked the public.
The forum called for broader accountability, urging authorities to act against other officials implicated in the commission.
“Activists and Citizens Forum hope that all other alleged corrupt EMPD officials who are implicated at the Madlanga Commission will also be arrested,” Bloem said.
He added that South Africans were demanding visible action against corruption.
Mkhwanazi faced scrutiny at the commission over his alleged role in the death of Mbense, who was allegedly tortured by the EMPD officers in April 2022. He was accused of ordering metro police to dump Mbense's corpse into a Brakpan river.
He told the commission he rushed to the scene at 2am after receiving a call from the late informer Jaco Hannekom. Hannekom had informed him of “successes” in crime-fighting and asked him to come and witness them.
On arrival, Mkhwanazi said he spotted at least nine white men at the scene and felt comfortable. He said he stayed only briefly because he was angry with Hannekom for waking him for nothing. He denied issuing instructions to dispose of Mbense’s body in the river.
He also faced intense questioning from the commission regarding the theft of R14.9-million in precious stones belonging to Peter Prinsloo, a private property owner in Rosebank, where two metro police officers conducted a raid.
The precious stones went missing after officers Adrian McKenzie and Keisher Leigh-Stolls removed them from the property. The pair is currently under investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and was previously arrested.
Mkhwanazi has been accused of deploying the officers to commit armed robbery at Prinsloo’s property.
He has also been at the centre of the controversial blue lights scandal involving alleged crime mastermind Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. He allegedly facilitated the registration of vehicles linked to Matlala’s company in the municipality’s name and had them fitted with blue lights.
Cape Times