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The Madlanga Commission has heard allegations that suspended EMPD acting chief Brig. Julius Mkhwanazi fabricated a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to grant policing powers to a private security company linked to alleged criminal kingpin Vusimuzi \u201cCAT\u201d Matlala.<\/p>\n
Former Ekurhuleni human resources head Xolani Nciza told the commission the document was a fraudulent draft, falsely presented as an official agreement between the municipality and Matlala\u2019s firm, CAT VIP.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no memorandum of understanding that existed between the municipality and CAT VIP. What existed was a draft, and a draft is simply that,\u201d Nciza testified<\/p>\n
He described the document as \u201cgrossly dishonest\u201d, explaining that it had never been approved by the city manager or council but was instead circulated as an official contract to mislead both internal structures and the public.<\/p>\n
The fake MOU also claimed the EMPD fell directly under Mkhwanazi\u2019s control \u2014 a false structural claim that granted him the space to manipulate processes and favour CAT VIP without oversight.<\/p>\n
The commission also heard details of the \u201cblue lights\u201d scandal, where Matlala\u2019s private vehicles were illegally registered under the municipality\u2019s name and fitted with emergency police lights.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese were private cars disguised as official ones,\u201d Nciza testified.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf stopped, their drivers could claim to be acting for the EMPD. The risks were obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the forged MOU and the blue-light scheme formed part of a coordinated attempt to legitimise CAT VIP\u2019s operations, giving the company cover to operate as if it were an arm of law enforcement.<\/p>\n
Nciza told the commission that internal accountability was deliberately blocked.<\/p>\n
He named EMPD HR head Linda Gasheka, who resisted taking action against Mkhwanazi, and former city manager Imogen Mashazi, who allegedly intervened to protect him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I tried to extend Mkhwanazi\u2019s suspension, Mashazi phoned me angrily and said, \u2018You think this municipality is yours,\u2019\u201d Nciza said. \u201cIt was clear she didn\u2019t want him touched.\u201d<\/p>\n
In April 2023, Nciza approved a disciplinary tribunal to probe Mkhwanazi and other EMPD officials for theft, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, and bribery, but the process was halted after IPID warned that pending arrests could disrupt proceedings.<\/p>\n
The commission heard how the municipality faced corruption, collusion, and abuse of authority.<\/p>\n
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za<\/strong><\/p>\n Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Madlanga Commission has heard allegations that suspended EMPD acting chief Brig. Julius Mkhwanazi fabricated a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to grant policing powers to a private security company linked to alleged criminal kingpin Vusimuzi \u201cCAT\u201d Matlala. Former Ekurhuleni human resources head Xolani Nciza told the commission the document was a fraudulent draft, falsely presented as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":261085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[2911,3003,2041,383,9618,10914,9876,2437,963,18943,2300,17275],"class_list":["post-261084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politics","tag-business","tag-cat","tag-commission","tag-deal","tag-ekurhuleni","tag-endless","tag-faked","tag-hand","tag-julius","tag-madlanga","tag-matlala","tag-mkhwanazi"],"yoast_head":"\n