Suspended Ekurhuleni Police Deputy Chief Faces Explosive New Allegations at Madlanga Commission

Suspended Ekurhuleni Police Deputy Chief Faces Explosive New Allegations at Madlanga Commission

Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi returned this week to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where fresh testimony linked him to the theft of precious stones worth R14.9 million, fraudulent blue lights deals, and a pattern of corruption that has made him the most implicated figure before the commission.

A Former Girlfriend’s Bombshell Testimony

The most damaging evidence came from a Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer testifying under the pseudonym Witness K, who claims she was in a romantic relationship with Mkhwanazi. She testified partially in-camera before the commission.

Witness K told the commission she began dating Mkhwanazi in 2022. Within two months, he was repeatedly asking her for money — borrowing for groceries, legal fees, and his children’s school fees — without repaying her.

When she could no longer provide financial support, Mkhwanazi allegedly asked her to gather intelligence that could “generate money.” She recalled a tip from an informant named Jango Simon about a man illegally holding precious stones near the Killarney shopping mall in Johannesburg.

The February 2023 Heist

Witness K testified that Mkhwanazi was the mastermind of the theft, carried out on February 11, 2023. He allegedly recruited EMPD officers Kersha-Leigh Stols and Aiden McKenzie, along with private security officer Etienne van der Walt, to carry out the operation — disguised as a lawful police seizure.

“Each of us had our roles to play. I had to organise the informer, secure the information as to the whereabouts of the stones and to ensure that the informer was ready to receive the stones and make payment. Mr Mkhwanazi had to organise the officers that were going to come in and take the stones,” she told the commission.

CCTV footage captured Stols, McKenzie, and Van der Walt inside the gemstone owner’s apartment. The officers seized the stones after the owner admitted he did not hold a licence to deal in precious stones.

The following day, Simon paid Witness K R110,000 in cash. The money was split five ways at a car wash — R88,000 shared among Mkhwanazi, Stols, McKenzie, and Van der Walt, while Witness K kept R22,000. Only stones valued at approximately R40,000 were later recovered by investigators.

Blue Lights and Fraudulent Deals

The precious stones testimony was not the only blow Mkhwanazi faced this week. Businessman Mike van Wyk appeared before the commission and alleged that Mkhwanazi used a fraudulent memorandum of understanding (MoU) to secure police blue lights for his private vehicle.

The commission was also shown a WhatsApp video in which Van Wyk is seen holding a thick stack of cash.

Mkhwanazi had previously been accused of drafting unauthorised MoUs that benefited underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. He admitted before the commission that he had no authority to sign those agreements on behalf of the EMPD.

A Pattern of Alleged Misconduct

The commission has heard a wide range of allegations against Mkhwanazi, including:

Mkhwanazi was first suspended in February 2023 over the blue lights scandal, briefly returned to work in May, then was suspended again after multiple witnesses implicated him at the commission.

Arrested and Charged

The Madlanga Commission had already recommended Mkhwanazi be referred for criminal prosecution and disciplinary action. On April 18, 2026, he was arrested following his testimony and charged with fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice.

He was granted bail of R30,000 by the Boksburg Magistrates Court on April 20, 2026, and has since returned before the commission to respond to the mounting allegations.

Mkhwanazi has previously denied all wrongdoing, stating: “I’m not a criminal.” He said he submitted statements to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) in response to each allegation.

Why This Matters

The Madlanga Commission is investigating the criminal infiltration of South African law enforcement agencies — a crisis that strikes at the heart of public trust in the police. Mkhwanazi’s case illustrates how corruption can reach the highest levels of metropolitan policing, with devastating consequences for communities that depend on law enforcement to protect them.