WATCH | Mkhwanazi denies fitting blue lights to Matlala’s vehicles

Suspended Ekurhuleni metro police deputy chief Brig Julius Mkhwanazi has denied he unlawfully fitted blue lights to vehicles belonging to attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

Mkhwanazi testified before the Madlanga commission on Wednesday and addressed several key allegations of misconduct levelled against him by previous witnesses on his relationship with tenderpreneur Matlala.

Mkhwanazi said he approached Matlala to donate his old fleet to the municipality, but the process was never finalised because Revo Spies, the retired deputy chief of the city’s metro police department, started making “noise” about the donation.

Mkhwanazi said he never authorised the installation of the blue lights on Matlala’s vehicles because the donation process was paused.

The process was initiated ... but then we cut it off, but there was this noise now from [the] media that ‘Mkhwanazi fitted blue lights [in Matlala’s cars], [and] Mkhwanazi took state resources and finances.

—  Brig Julius Mkhwanazi

“Those cars didn’t come and were not provided [with blue lights] by the City of Ekurhuleni. Even Mr Chris Stein [who handled the fleet registrations for the metro], did not see those vehicles. We never received the cars physically,” he said.

“The process was initiated ... but then we cut it off, but there was this noise now from [the] media that ‘Mkhwanazi fitted blue lights [in Matlala’s cars], [and] Mkhwanazi took state resources and finances,” he said.

Mkhwanazi said these accusations spiralled in 2023, and Spies wanted him to write a letter to address the blue lights vehicle accusations and document his side in the matter.

He said following that request, his suspension was all over social media and newspapers, although internal processes were not yet finalised.

Mkhwanazi said the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) asked that he bring them all the documents related to the blue lights accusations.

He said five months after his initial meeting with Ipid, he was called once again to meet with them.

Mkhwanazi told the commission that he knew nothing about the allegation linking him to a murder.

Sowetan