The high-flying career of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi has come to a dramatic and definitive end. In a move that signals the city’s attempt to distance itself from a man tangled in a web of serious criminal allegations, the City of Ekurhuleni has officially terminated his employment.
The decision to sever ties with the embattled law enforcement official was confirmed by city spokesperson Phakamile Mbengashe on Friday. The move follows a directive from City Manager Kagiso Lerutla, who acted after reviewing a final report from the city’s disciplinary committee. For Mkhwanazi, who had been suspended since November last year, this marks the collapse of a tenure that had once been defined by authority and power.
The decision was not made in isolation. A comprehensive report from the human resources department laid out a bleak reality: Mkhwanazi is currently caught in a multi-front legal battle, facing a laundry list of serious charges across different courts. With the former Deputy Chief currently behind bars after being denied bail for his alleged role in a brutal murder, the city concluded that any internal disciplinary action would be effectively impossible to proceed with in the foreseeable future.
The city cited a clear and present danger to its image as a primary driver for the dismissal. “There were also issues of reputational risk to the city, so the city manager thought it was important to sever this relationship,” Mbengashe explained.
For a figure who once held the rank of Deputy Chief, the fall from grace is as steep as it is unprecedented. Mkhwanazi’s exit from the municipal payroll is merely the latest chapter in a narrative of alleged criminality that has left the public and his former colleagues stunned.
The allegations against Mkhwanazi are varied and severe, pulling the city administration directly into the fray. He is expected to appear before the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on 29 September alongside City Manager Kagiso Lerutla himself. The duo is facing a string of charges, including fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice.
These charges stem from a bizarre and troubling incident dating back to 2019, involving an alleged traffic violation cover-up. The State’s case paints a picture of a system manipulated from the inside. According to the allegations, Lerutla managed to skip a court appearance related to a speeding charge by hiring an impostor to complete the mandatory community service in his place. It is alleged that Mkhwanazi was the key facilitator of this scheme, using his influence to ensure the plan went off without a hitch.
While the fraud charges are substantial, they are eclipsed by the gravity of the accusations stemming from a separate incident in 2022. On Tuesday, the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court delivered a crushing blow to Mkhwanazi’s hopes for freedom, denying him bail alongside five co-accused in the murder of businessman Emmanuel Mbense.
The details of the Mbense murder, as presented to the court, are particularly grim. The State alleges that on 14 April 2022, the group of accused individuals arrived at Mbense’s residence. The encounter quickly descended into violence. The group allegedly assaulted and ultimately murdered the businessman, based on the suspicion that he had been involved in the theft of copper from a warehouse.
The violence did not end with the taking of a life. Following the murder, the accused allegedly proceeded to rob the deceased of his personal belongings and a staggering sum of approximately R500,000 in cash. To cover their tracks, the State alleges that the group disposed of Mbense’s body by dumping it at the Spaarwater Dam in Nigel, an act that has highlighted the brutal nature of the crimes now attached to the former Deputy Chief’s name.
The combination of these allegations has created a volatile atmosphere surrounding the Ekurhuleni administration. The fact that a senior police official and a city manager have been caught in the crosshairs of such serious criminal investigations has prompted a wave of questions about oversight and ethics within the metro’s leadership.
For Mkhwanazi, the days of wearing the badge and commanding respect within the EMPD are over. As he remains in custody, the legal process will now take its course, with the upcoming September court date looming large for both him and the City Manager.
The City of Ekurhuleni has made its position clear: it is cutting its losses and distancing itself from the controversy. As the legal drama continues to unfold in the courtrooms of Boksburg and Brakpan, the public is left to grapple with the reality of how a man entrusted with upholding the law now finds himself at the centre of some of the most serious criminal allegations in the country.
For now, the focus shifts to the upcoming trials. The city has effectively closed the book on Mkhwanazi’s employment, but for the victims and the public, the search for justice is only just beginning. The streets he once patrolled as a senior commander are now the backdrop for a legal battle that will define the legacy of a man who once held the keys to the city’s law enforcement apparatus.