Ekurhuleni, South Africa – Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi was arrested at his home in Gauteng on Saturday morning, facing charges of fraud, corruption and defeating and obstructing the ends of justice.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed to The Citizen that a 50-year-old senior municipal official had been taken into custody. The arrest was carried out by the police’s Madlanga Commission Task Team.
“These arrests emanate from an ongoing investigation into corruption within the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department,” police said, adding that investigators are still searching for other suspects linked to the case. 
Mkhwanazi is expected to appear before the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, April 20, 2026.
The arrest comes as Mkhwanazi has been facing intense scrutiny at the Madlanga Commission, where he has been implicated in a series of serious allegations. These include involvement in the death of Emmanuel Mbense in 2022, with accusations that he instructed that Mbense’s body be dumped and concealed the alleged involvement of EMPD officers Aiden McKenzie, Kershia-Leigh Stols and Bafana Twala. Mkhwanazi has denied those claims and distanced himself from the murder.
Evidence at the commission this week also implicated him 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 February 11, 2023, but only a fraction of the stones, worth R40,000, were later recovered. CCTV footage obtained by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate appears to show an EMPD officer handing over minerals to Mkhwanazi.
He has also denied allegations that he was involved in the alleged kidnapping of EMPD spokesperson Kelebogile Thepa, and that he approved 55 allegedly irregular promotions involving directors, superintendents and inspectors. He additionally 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 was also warned this week about lying under oath after alleged inconsistencies emerged in his responses to the commission, including misrepresenting facts when requesting a postponement of his testimony. He denied any attempt to mislead the commission.
The commission’s evidence leader, Advocate Mahlape Sello, explained what triggered the concern.
“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,” Sello said.
She said the problem only emerged 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,” Sello said.
