Suspended EMPD acting chief Julius Mkhwanazi testified at the Madlanga Commission.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspaper
Suspended EMPD acting chief Julius Mkhwanazi faced sustained pressure at the Madlanga Commission this week, ahead of his reported arrest on Saturday, as his testimony unravelled under sharp questioning, exposing contradictions, missing records and serious allegations of criminal conduct inside a police unit.
Mkhwanazi denied ordering a robbery involving precious stones and rejected claims that he used officers under his command to run illegal operations.
“I did not give any instruction to commit any robbery,” he said.
But the commission’s evidence pointed in the opposite direction.
Co-commissioner Adv. Sandile Khumalo accused Mkhwanazi of withholding key details about his presence at a Rosebank property linked to the alleged crime.
CCTV footage later placed a vehicle connected to him at the scene.
Pressed on this, Mkhwanazi shifted. He first agreed with Khumalo, then denied being there, before conceding he may have “limited” what he told investigators.
The inconsistency drew immediate scrutiny.
Mkhwanazi is accused of leading a SWAT unit within the EMPD that allegedly operated like a criminal syndicate, carrying out kidnappings, extortion, hijackings and murder.
He denied all allegations. His explanation of a key incident in April 2022 came under heavy attack.
Mkhwanazi told the commission he drove to a scene at 2am after receiving a call from an informant about a recovered stolen truck.
But there is no record of the call, no official operation logged and no clear commander.
Commission chair, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, rejected the version outright, calling it “implausible” and accusing Mkhwanazi of not telling the truth.
The timeline overlaps with the death of Emmanuel Mbhense, who died in custody after being arrested in Boksburg.
His body was later dumped in a dam in Germiston.
A key witness, Marius van der Merwe (Witness D), now deceased, previously told the commission that Mkhwanazi was present when the body was disposed of and gave the order.
Mkhwanazi denied this, saying he left the scene after noticing SAPS involvement.
Evidence leader Adv. Mahlape Sello challenged him directly.
“You are not being truthful,” she said, questioning why a senior officer would respond to a 2am call with no operational purpose.The pressure extended beyond operational claims.
Mkhwanazi’s request for a postponement—based on the death of his mother—was questioned after records suggested the deceased was his stepmother.
He denied misleading the commission, saying she raised him. The commission accepted that explanation.
He also turned on his superior, suspended EMPD chief Isaac Mapiyeye, accusing him of lying about controversial senior appointments.
Mapiyeye had claimed Mkhwanazi bypassed procedures to push through more than 50 promotions.
Then came allegations of cash favours.
The commission heard about a video in which a private company director appeared to offer Mkhwanazi money in exchange for authorising blue-light privileges for a security company linked to an alleged crime figure.
Mkhwanazi said he did not remember the video.
Across his testimony, one pattern stood out: denial, contradiction and gaps in crucial details.
Mkhwanazi is one of the people who are being investigated by the special task team.
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