In 2019, Kagiso Lerutla was arrested for speeding and summoned to appear in court. However, instead of appearing in person, someone else showed up in his place.
These allegations are at the centre of the state’s case against the Ekurhuleni municipal manager, who appeared in court alongside suspended deputy metro police chief Julius Mkhwanazi on Monday.
Mkhwanazi allegedly helped organise the person who had pretended to be Lerutla.
According to the state, Mr X, who cannot be named for his safety, showed up in court claiming to be Lerutla and was found guilty and sentenced to community service for speeding.
Investigators have now unravelled the bizarre tangle, charging both Lerutla and Mkhwanazi with defeating the ends of justice, fraud and corruption. It is alleged that Lerutla paid his impersonator and Mkhwanazi R200,000 each.
It is believed that a whistleblower relayed this information to law enforcement authorities, resulting in the arrest of the two.
They then colluded and found an impersonator who would go to court and pretend to be Lerutla.
— Brig Athlenda Mathe
Mkhwanazi was arrested on Saturday, and Lerutla − who had just arrived from Cape Town − was nabbed at OR Tambo International Airport shortly after landing on Sunday.
Addressing journalists, national police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said when Lerutla was arrested for speeding, he was released on bail of R1,000.
He was given a court date, but it was on the same day that he was scheduled to be interviewed for the position of chief financial officer (CFO) at the Ekurhuleni municipality.
Mathe said Lerutla then approached Mkhwanazi for help.
“They then colluded and found an impersonator who would go to court and pretend to be Lerutla,” Mathe said.
The man, whose name is known to Sowetan, was allegedly given Lerutla’s identity document, which he presented to authorities while impersonating him.
“On the day Lerutla was supposed to appear in court, Mr X appeared in court with the details of Mr Lerutla on his behalf. The matter was only brought to our attention shortly after the [Madlanga commission] task team was established,” Mathe said.
A sentence, in the form of a diversion programme, was handed down which necessitated Mr X performing community service, which he allegedly only did once.
Meanwhile, Mathe said investigators are in communication with the Ekurhuleni metropolitan police department to determine whether or not Mkhwanazi was supposed to be in possession of ammunition that was found at his home.
Prosecutor Adv Nceba Ntelwa told the court the state would oppose bail and asked for the matter to be postponed to Thursday.
Magistrate Sipho Manana granted the postponement.
Speaking outside court, NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the state has a strong case against Mkhwanazi and Lerutla.
Lerutla joined the Ekurhuleni municipality in 2014 as divisional head of compliance and governance in the city’s finance department.
He was appointed CFO in 2019 and, in November, as city manager.
Mkhwanazi, who is currently on suspension, has been accused of fitting blue lights to a fleet belonging to alleged cartel member Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala without the city’s approval.
In 2023, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) issued a negative report against Mkhwanazi and ordered the city to discipline him.
Evidence obtained by Ipid indicated that four vehicles were registered as City of Ekurhuleni vehicles in January 2023.
The same vehicles then changed ownership on the eNatis system and were registered as CAT VIP vehicles in March 2023. Money from the city was used to pay for the registration and licensing, which cost about R2,218.
“Based on the above information contained in the case docket, Ipid recommends that disciplinary steps be taken against Mkhwanazi...However, [the] docket is referred to the DPP [director of public prosecutions] for decision,” the report read.
However, the city ignored Ipid’s recommendations because Mkhwanazi was allegedly protected by former city manager Imogen Mashazi, head of legal, Adv Kemi Behari, and head of HR, Linda Gxasheka. They have all denied these allegations.
Behari and Gxasheka have both been suspended.
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