JOHANNESBURG – Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) suspended deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi is set to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, April 20, 2026, following his arrest on Saturday. He is charged with fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice.
ActionSA has stepped up its demands 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 arrest follows damning allegations that emerged during his three days of testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, linking him to robbery, murder, corruption, and kidnapping. Police have 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.
Mkhwanazi faced scrutiny at the commission over his alleged role in the death of Mbense, who was allegedly tortured by EMPD officers in April 2022. He was accused of ordering metro police to dump Mbense's corpse into a Brakpan river. Mkhwanazi 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.
IPID officers recovered precious stones worth R40,000 from McKenzie’s vehicle, but the majority of them are still missing. Mkhwanazi has been accused of deploying the officers to commit armed robbery at Prinsloo’s property, a claim he denies.
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.
Without naming Mkhwanazi, SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the SAPS’s Madlanga Commission Task Team arrested a 50-year-old senior municipal official for fraud, corruption, and defeating or obstructing the ends of justice at his Gauteng home on Saturday morning.
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.
Meanwhile, police have 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 on Sunday morning and faces the same charges. The accused is also expected to appear before the same court on Monday, April 20.
