Almost a year after Ekurhuleni police boss Brig Julius Mkhwanazi was charged with dishonesty and entering into questionable deals with tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a report commissioned by the metro whitewashed the serious charges he was facing.
These were some of the examples of alleged protections Mkhwanazi received which have been laid bare at the Madlanga commission of inquiry by retired Ekurhuleni deputy police chief Revo Spies.
The revelations came on the same day that the metro announced Mkhwanazi’s suspension for the second time in nearly three years on the same serious charges of misconduct in relation to Matlala’s security firm, CAT-VIP Protection.
Spies, who worked for the city’s police department for more than three decades, also revealed that the report by a forensic law firm attempted to look for whistleblowers in the matter instead of probing Mkhwanazi for fraud, among other things.
He said the report was not tabled in council.
“We knew about it. The report found [Mkhwanazi] not guilty without looking at the facts. I asked for an opinion from a lawyer,” said Spies.
We knew about it. The report found [Mkhwanazi] not guilty without looking at the facts. I asked for an opinion from a lawyer
— Revo Spies, retired Ekurhuleni deputy police chief
“I was advised this was not worth the paper it was written on. It was clearly done to protect Julius. This was a clear sign by Imogen [Mashazi, former city manager] to protect him.”
The report, which was released in June 2024, which Sowetan has seen, states that Mkhwanazi should lodge a formal complaint against the metro police department’s senior officials who appointed Majang Inc to draft charges against him.
This came after an internal audit found that he had a case to answer in relation to misconduct.
The forensic report said municipal officials did not obtain prior consent from Mkhwanazi to appoint the law firm to investigate him.
Mkhwanazi was suspended in July 2023 and faced charges related to Matlala’s security firm. He was reinstated in October 2023.
The charges came after the internal investigation found that Mkhwanazi had to be charged with abuse of power and gross dishonesty.
Read the forensic report: “The city had incurred fruitless and wasteful expenditure in respect of unnecessary legal costs in an amount of R45,470.63, inclusive of VAT, which was paid to Majang relating to an invoice dated 19 June 2023 for the Mkhwanazi disciplinary matter.”
During his testimony, Spies alleged that Mashazi was protecting Mkhwanazi.
Mashazi told Sowetan on Tuesday that the allegations that she was protecting Mkhwanazi were untrue. “Therefore there’s nothing to divulge,” she said.
Spies said Mashazi misled councillors that a forensic investigation was probing the allegations levelled against Mkhwanazi.
“At that stage councillors already had lots of questions about the investigations against Mkhwanazi on whether they had been concluded or what the status was.
“The answers from the city manager, Mashazi, and HR were that they have appointed a forensic law firm to investigate this matter,” Spies said.
He also revealed that attempts to get Mkhwanazi and his division, which included over 200 officials, vetted failed after Mkhwanazi and his group blatantly refused to submit their fingerprints.
He said Mkhwanazi also refused to be vetted by the State Security Agency.
In 2022, out of 3,762 Ekurhuleni officers who were vetted, 275 were found to have previous convictions, while 100 were awaiting trial, Spies said.
He said after Mkhwanazi and his team refused to be vetted, the idea to annually vet officials collapsed, and no action was taken against those who refused to abide.
The crimes the officials were found to be involved in included rape, murder and theft.
“This posed a serious risk to the public and undermined the credibility of officers,” he said.
The city said on Tuesday that Mkhwanazi has been suspended following recommendations of an internal audit on allegations of misconduct.
“The suspension is an administrative measure intended to safeguard the integrity of the disciplinary process and should not be construed as a finding of guilt.
“Formal disciplinary proceedings will now follow, in line with applicable labour laws and municipal regulations,” the statement read.
City manager Kagiso Lerutla said: “The testimony emerging from the Madlanga commission is both shocking and deeply concerning. It points to systemic issues that this administration will not tolerate. We are unequivocally committed to clean governance, accountability, and restoring public trust in our municipality.”
Spies alleged that Mkhwanazi is linked to a cover-up of a 2022 murder where a civilian was tortured during interrogation and was involved in a case of cable theft in Meyerton, on the Vaal.
Spies has been placed under the protection of the State Security Agency due to credible threats against his life.
Sowetan
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