WATCH | Mashazi denies protecting Mkhwanazi in blue lights scandal

Former Ekurhuleni city manager Imogen Mashazi has denied protecting Brig Julius Mkhwanazi, saying she never took any steps against him as she was misled by the legal department regarding a report implicating him in illegally fitting blue lights in Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s vehicles.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) report had found that Mkhwanazi’s decision to fit blue lights and also entering into a memorandum of demands on behalf on the city with a security company owned by Matlala amounts to fraud.

It also stated that he be disciplined and the matter also be referred to director of public prosecution for decision.

However, this year Mashazi told journalists that Mkhwanazi was cleared though internal investigation and that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s report about the findings was “vague”.

On Monday at the Madlanga commission, Mashazi made a u-turn, saying what Mkhwanazi had done was illegal. “It was not even within his powers to enter into a memorandum of demands,” she said.

Asked why she said the report was vague, Mashazi said it was because she had been misled by head of legal unit, Adv Kemi Behari.

“As I indicated, I [used to] deal with lot of matters but maybe this one I didn’t pay too much attention to. To be honest, I didn’t peruse this document thoroughly.

“Adv [Behari] was part of the meeting with Ipid and he immediately went with it to review,” she said, adding that she was told the report was insufficient and that the matter should not be pursued further.

Mashazi told the commission that what Mkhwanazi did amounts to criminality and that she would have acted “differently” had she known what she knows now.

When he previously testified at the commission, suspended EMPD chief Jabulani Mapiyeye said he had suspended Mkhwanazi over the blue lights saga but that Mashazi lifted the suspension against him and promoted him afterwards.

Mashazi denied the allegations, saying she would have not interfered with the process as it fell outside her mandates. “I categorially state that I did not participate in the suspension nor the upliftment of the suspension,” she said.

She told the commission that she was not aware of the blue lights saga until September 2023 when she learnt about it through the Ipid report.

She also denied protecting Mkhwanazi from being vetted: “I never instructed Mkhwanazi not to be vetted nor did I stop chief of police from vetting him.”

Allegations before Madlanga commission is that in 2022 when Mapiyeye requested Mkhwanazi to submit his fingerprints for vetting, Mkhwanazi called her and as a result the process was halted.

Mkhwanazi is expected to present his evidence before the commission this week.

In the morning, Mashazi accused Mapiyeye of sexual harassment and raping junior staff members in exchange for promotions.

She said she learnt about these allegations in 2016 when she was appointed city manager. She said after learning about this, she created a platform to empower women.

When asked why she did not act on those allegations, she said she could not institute an investigation because there was no formal written complain.

Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga criticised her for the failure to act on the allegations. “You get to hear all of this in 2016, and all you do, in case I misunderstood you, is to create a platform for women to be empowered?

“You suggest that as a leader you get reports of such horrendous acts by [the] chief of police, and you sit back and fold your arms and say, ‘there are no complaints to me’.”

“Why can’t you be proactive and do the best you can to get to the bottom of this?” asked Madlanga.

Mashazi also alleged that Mapiyeye victims were labelled “Ingelosi” (Angels).

Sowetan