JOHANNESBURG -Since his name was mentioned at the Madlanga Commission, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department's (EMPD) suspended Acting Police Chief Julius Mkhwanazi has fought hard to clear his name.
On 23 September, he voluntarily applied for special leave. This was to allow the City of Ekurhuleni to investigate allegations against him properly, he said.
"My name is all over the place," he told eNCA in September. He said that all allegations against him were unfounded and not properly investigated. KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged during his appearance at the Commission that Mkhwanazi had registered Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala's vehicles with the City.
"I think someone misled General Mkhwanazi with that information," said the EMPD acting head. He went on to say that he did not have a relationship with the CAT VIP owner. He insisted that theirs was a working relationship.
Mkhwanazi said that the City had worked with Matlala's company during a State of the City Address and that suspended EMPD Police Chief Jabulani Mapiyeye had approved this. "Proper processes and procedures were followed," he said.
At the same time in September, Mkhwanazi said that five vehicles, four BMWs and a Mercedes-Benz V-Class were registered with the City. The car driven by Matlala's partner on social media was from 'forged' documentation, Mkhwanazi said.
Mapiyeye told the Commission that he didn’t know how Mkhwanazi had been appointed as Deputy Chief of Police and that he had not been vetted. He added that Mkhwanazi had previously run a unit of officers who were not vetted either. He also alleged that Mkhwanazi had enjoyed the protection of retired municipal manager, Dr Imogen Mashazi.
In a video clip presented at the Madlanga Commission, by Former Ekurhuleni HR head, Xolani Nciza, Mkhwanazi can be seen saying that he would kill for Mashazi. He is also heard saying that he would take a bullet for her. According to Nciza, this was questionable, as it indicated that Mkhwanai was loyal to the person (from whom he received protection) rather than to the municipality.
Nciza indicated that this made it difficult for senior officials at the municipality to question Mkhwanazi or call him to order. When allegations against Mkhwanazi arose, no action was taken against him. Mashazi conceded at the Commission that she’d failed to act against Mkhwanazi, despite evidence against his conduct. She also conceded that his appointment to the Deputy Police Chief position was illegal, as proper processes were not followed.
December 2025
On Wednesday, 3 December Mkhwanazi told the Commission a different story. The following day, he twisted himself further into knots, disputing the term 'facilitate' in helping Matlala register his vehicles.
Giving the reason why he did not facilitate the registration of Matlala’s vehicles, Mkhwanazi said, 'I can't leave my kids and go to jail over some blue lights.'
At his Wednesday appearance, Mkhwanazi conceded that he’d met Matlala in 2021, through Medicare24 founder Mike van Zyl.
Mkhwanazi was introduced to Van Zyl through his the Community Liaison unit. Van Zyl introduced him to Matlala, and they became cordial. The pair were so congenial that they were on first-name terms. Matlala informed Mkhwanazi that he wanted to attract high-end clients and wanted to upgrade his fleet.
Mkhwanazi said that he suggested that he donate his vehicles to the City. The donations, according to Mkhwanazi, were registered through the City's proxy office managed by Chris Steyn. Mkhwanazi facilitated the registration (a word he repeatedly denounced at the Commission) by fetching the necessary documents for Steyn.
He also submitted documents from Matlala that Steyn would need to register the vehicles as a donation to the City.
Mkhwanazi vehemently denies that the blue lights were facilitated by him or Steyn. "There would need to be a tender for that," he explained.
The City did not have the money to put out such a tender and would not have the money to purchase blue lights and pay for branding for the vehicles. It should also be noted that neither Steyn nor Mkhwanazi ever saw the 'donations'. When asked who might have facilitated the installation, Mkhwanazi was evasive, saying he feared incriminating himself.