Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi has been arrested. When contacted by The Citizen, national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed that a 50-year-old senior municipal official had been arrested for fraud, corruption and defeating and/or obstructing the ends of justice. It is understood that Mkhwanazi was arrested at his home in Gauteng on Saturday morning by the police’s Madlanga Commission Task Team.

“These arrests emanate from an ongoing investigation into corruption within the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD),” the police said of the arrest. Investigators are still searching for other suspects linked to the case. Mkhwanazi is expected to appear before the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 20 April 2026.

Mkhwanazi grilled at the Madlanga Commission He has been implicated in the death of Emmanuel Mbense in 2022 and accused of both instructing that Mbense’s body be dumped and concealing the alleged involvement of EMPD officers Aiden McKenzie, Kershia-Leigh Stols and Bafana Twala. He has denied the claims and distanced himself from the murder. Evidence at the Madlanga Commission this week also implicated Mkhwanazi in an operation linked to the alleged theft of valuable stones in Johannesburg.

Precious stones valued at R14.9 million were allegedly seized from the Killarney home of Peter Prinsloo on 11 February 2023, but only a fraction of the stones, worth R40 000, were later recovered. It was previously heard that CCTV footage obtained by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) appears to show an EMPD officer handing over minerals to Mkhwanazi. Mkhwanazi also denied allegations that he was involved in the alleged kidnapping of EMPD spokesperson Kelebogile Thepa, and also approved 55 allegedly irregular promotions involving directors, superintendents and inspectors.

In addition, Mkhwanazi faces accusations of unlawfully facilitating the installation of blue lights on vehicles owned by tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala without the necessary authorisation from the City of Ekurhuleni. Mkhwanazi also warned about lying under oath Mkhwanazi was also warned this week about lying under oath after alleged inconsistencies in his responses to the commission and misrepresenting facts when requesting a postponement of his testimony. He denied any attempt to mislead the commission.

“Mr Mkhwanazi, during consultation, was at pains to convince us that the person who passed away was his birth mother. It was not a cousin, it was not a relative, and it was not a stepmother. “When I made my application for a postponement, I indicated that it was a close member of the family and therefore, understand why he could potentially require this extension.

“After the postponement was granted, a few days later in the normal course of collation of documents, these documents were then prepared for filing and that’s when we realised that this person happens to be 10 years older than Mr Mkhwanazi and that raised the issue about whether or not Mr Mkhwanazi lied to the commission, misled this commission in an attempt to avoid appearing before the commission and we concluded that he potentially may have done so but we needed to make our own investigations,” said the commission’s evidence leader Advocate Mahlape Sello. This is a developing story Additional reporting by Molefe Seeletsa