By Everson Luhanga
- Julius Mkhwanazi told the Madlanga Commission that former deputy chief Revo Spies gave the inquiry a forged policing plan.
- Julius Mkhwanazi admitted hiring Vusimuzi Matlala’s private security firm, which used blue lights and ran rogue operations without legal approval.
Julius Mkhwanazi, a senior Ekurhuleni metro police officer, told the Madlanga Commission that a fake plan was used as real evidence.
He said his former boss, retired deputy chief Revo Spies, gave the inquiry a forged policing plan. He said the real plan was signed by the correct people, including then metro police chief Isaac Mapiyeye, but the one Spies handed in was not the same plan.
If this is true, the commission may have been misled about how policing operations were approved during a tense period in Ekurhuleni.
But Mkhwanazi also turned the spotlight on himself.
He admitted hiring a private security firm run by Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala before the 2022 State of the City Address. The firm is linked to fake documents, illegal blue lights, and a rogue police unit accused of serious crimes.
Other witnesses told the commission that there was no legal deal between the city and the firm, only a draft document. That draft wrongly said the security guards would report to metro police.
Matlala’s private cars were fitted with emergency lights and registered as city assets. That gave them the same power as metro police cars, even though they were not part of the force.
Witnesses also accused Mkhwanazi of running an illegal “SWAT-style” unit involved in kidnapping, extortion, hijacking, and murder.
They said top leaders protected him. Former city manager Imogen Mashazi is named as someone who blocked action against him.
Mkhwanazi’s claims could shake the inquiry. The forged plan could damage other evidence, and his own admissions could open him up to charges.
Pictured above: Julius Mkhwanazi testifying at the Madlanga Commission
Image source: Madlanga Commission
