Ekurhuleni metro police deputy chief and city manager arrested on corruption charges

Julius Mkhwanazi and Kagiso Lerutla face charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice.

Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and city manager Kagiso Lerutla were arrested over the weekend and appeared in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court on Monday.¹²³ Both face charges of fraud, corruption and defeating or obstructing the ends of justice.⁴⁹

Mkhwanazi, 50, was arrested at his home in Gauteng on Saturday by the South African Police Service's Madlanga task team.¹ Lerutla, 40, was arrested on Sunday morning in Johannesburg.²³ Both suspects were detained at Midrand police station.³

The arrests form part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption within the EMPD, and police said they were still searching for other suspects linked to the case.¹ National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe declined to provide further comment on the merits of the case.¹

Mkhwanazi's arrest followed several days of testimony at the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria, where his alleged dealings with suspected criminal cartel member Vusumuzi "Cat" Matlala came under scrutiny.⁴ The Independent Police Investigative Directorate found that Mkhwanazi was allegedly central to fitting blue lights on vehicles linked to Matlala, who faces criminal charges.⁴ Testimony by the late Marius van der Merwe, known as Witness D before the commission, added claims of a cover-up tied to a 2022 case involving Emmanuel Mbense's body.⁴

Police insisted the arrests were not connected to the IPID probe or evidence before the commission.⁴ It remained unclear how Lerutla and Mkhwanazi were connected, but sources said the charges were not in relation to the blue lights matter highlighted at the Madlanga Commission.³

Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza said he had been learning information through headlines and that any link to Lerutla had not emerged at the Madlanga Commission.³

ActionSA called for Mkhwanazi's immediate dismissal from the City of Ekurhuleni.⁷ The party's spokesperson in Ekurhuleni, Tumelo Tshabalala, said allegations against Mkhwanazi existed long before the Madlanga Commission and that senior managers had prevented investigations from concluding.⁷ The Activists and Citizens Forum said the arrest was long overdue, with spokesperson Dennis Bloem stating that witnesses at the commission had painted a disturbing picture of Mkhwanazi as "a criminal in police uniform".⁵