Madlanga Commission: Spies testifies Mkhwanazi helped hide Brakpan killing
EMPD acting chief, Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi is implicated in theft, robbery, murder and misconduct.
Image: Facebook
Ekurhuleni Metro Police (EMPD) deputy chief, Brig. Julius Mkhwanazi, was allegedly called by his own SWAT team to assist in cleaning a murder scene in Brakpan, Ekurhuleni.
This was revealed in testimony before the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria on Monday.
According to retired EMPD Deputy Chief Revo Spies, the incident dates back to April 2022, when a group of EMPD officers allegedly tortured a man to death before seeking Mkhwanazi’s help to cover up the killing.
The man’s body was later found dumped in a dam in Nigel, Ekurhuleni.
Spies told the commission that the officers had used a suffocation method known as “tubing” during the interrogation.
The victim, desperate to survive, reportedly offered the officers R500,000 in exchange for his release.
“They killed the man anyway,” Spies testified, adding that afterwards, they called Mkhwanazi to the scene.
When Mkhwanazi arrived in a white Golf, Spies said, he instructed his officers how to clean the scene and ordered them to load the victim’s body onto a civilian’s bakkie.
The civilian was allegedly told to dump the body in the dam, which he did.
One of the officers involved has since turned state witness and filed a Section 204 application for immunity in exchange for testimony.
The witness reportedly confirmed Mkhwanazi’s presence and the subsequent disposal of the body.
Despite these serious allegations, Spies said that the case had stalled for more than two years, accusing both the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of defeating the ends of justice.
“This case has been with IPID and the NPA since 2022,” Spies told the commission. “Yet nothing has been done. The state witness contacted me recently to confirm his cooperation, but the authorities appear unwilling to act.”
The Madlanga Commission is currently investigating corruption, brutality, and abuse of power within metropolitan police structures across Gauteng - including Ekurhuleni.
Spies’ testimony forms part of a broader probe into rogue elements within the EMPD.
This is at a workshop in Meyerton, where EMPD deputy chief, Brig. Julius Mkhwanazi, was captured by CCTV footage accompanying officers to allegedly rob the place of copper cables.
Image: Kamogelo Moichela/IOL News
Mkhwanazi’s SWAT unit was linked to theft, corruption and intimidation in Ekurhuleni even as far as Mid-Vaal.
CCTV footage captured him and metro officers at a workshop in Meyerton where they allegedly robbed copper cables, but the informant who exposed them was murdered.
Spies said Jaco Hanekom, an informant who gave him the footage, was killed on the same day that the officers were granted bail during a drive-by shooting.
To date, according to Spies, there is no record of the operation.
The commission continues to hear more testimony from Spies.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics