CCN

25 September 2026 | 18:55

JOHANNESBURG — Julius Mkhwanazi’s already complicated legal battle took another turn when the suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department deputy chief was served with a fifth warrant of arrest while he was in court for a bail application in the murder case of businessman Emmanuel Mbense.

The warrant, served on 27 August 2026, was linked to a separate investigation involving the alleged unlawful fitting of emergency blue lights to private vehicles connected to businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

At the time, Mkhwanazi was already in custody with five co-accused over the alleged abduction and murder of Mbense in 2022.

The latest warrant was served at the Brakpan Magistrates’ Court after proceedings in the Mbense matter had concluded for the day. 

The development meant Mkhwanazi was facing yet another criminal investigation while already fighting to secure his freedom in a separate murder case.

The fifth warrant

According to investigators, the latest case centres on four luxury vehicles associated with Matlala’s security company, Cat Protection Services.

The vehicles — two BMWs, a Mercedes-Benz and a Volkswagen — were allegedly registered irregularly as City of Ekurhuleni vehicles and fitted with blue emergency lights.

Mkhwanazi is accused of unlawfully approving the fitting of the lights. The allegations have also featured prominently before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where his relationship with Matlala came under scrutiny. 

The blue-light allegations concern the use of emergency equipment normally associated with authorised law-enforcement vehicles.

Investigators are examining how private vehicles allegedly became linked to municipal assets and whether officials improperly facilitated the arrangement.

Mkhwanazi has denied wrongdoing.

During his testimony before the Madlanga Commission, he disputed allegations that he had authorised blue lights to be fitted to Matlala’s vehicles.

According to the Mail & Guardian’s reporting of his testimony, Mkhwanazi told the commission:

“Blue lights were never a plan.”

He maintained that the vehicles were being considered as part of a donation process and said they had not been received by the EMPD. 

The Mbense murder case

The new warrant arrived while Mkhwanazi was already fighting a much more serious set of allegations.

He and five co-accused face charges arising from the alleged abduction and murder of businessman Emmanuel Mbense, who disappeared in April 2022 after police raided his home in Brakpan.

The State alleges that Mbense was tortured and killed and that his body was subsequently disposed of at a dam near Nigel.

Mkhwanazi was arrested on 5 August 2026, together with four other suspects, while another accused was subsequently linked to the case. The group faces murder and charges relating to the obstruction or defeating of the ends of justice. 

The State has opposed bail.

During the bail proceedings, prosecutors argued that the accused should remain behind bars, including because of concerns surrounding witnesses and the seriousness of the allegations.

The defence, however, challenged the State’s case and questioned aspects of the evidence linking individual accused people to the alleged crime.

The defence has also challenged the State’s reliance on the principle of common purpose, arguing that prosecutors must establish the individual role of each accused person rather than simply placing them within a broader group.

According to reporting on the proceedings, the lead IPID investigator conceded during cross-examination that there was no evidence of an agreement to commit the crime in relation to one meeting relied upon by the State. 

Bail denied

Mkhwanazi’s bid for bail ultimately failed.

On 15 September, the court denied bail to Mkhwanazi and his five co-accused in the Mbense murder matter.

The court found that the accused had failed to demonstrate exceptional circumstances that justified their release and had not sufficiently satisfied the court that they would not interfere with witnesses. 

That ruling ensured that Mkhwanazi remained in custody even though he had obtained bail in another case.

His lawyer, Shafique Sarlie, subsequently indicated that the defence intended challenging the bail decision in the High Court.

Sarlie said the defence believed the magistrate had made errors and misdirections in the judgment. 

Bail in the blue-lights case did not free him

The irony of Mkhwanazi’s situation is that the fifth warrant did not ultimately keep him in custody by itself.

On 15 September, he was granted R10,000 bail in the separate blue-lights corruption matter.

However, that order did not result in his release because he remained in custody in connection with the Mbense murder case after being denied bail there. 

His co-accused in the blue-lights matter included Matlala and Ekurhuleni fleet manager Chris Steyn.

The blue-lights case involves allegations of fraud and corruption surrounding the registration and use of private vehicles.

From senior metro cop to accused in multiple cases

Mkhwanazi’s legal problems have unfolded across several separate investigations.

Before the Mbense case, he had already been arrested in connection with allegations involving a R14.9 million precious-stones seizure.

He was also previously arrested over allegations that he helped former Ekurhuleni city manager Kagiso Lerutla avoid a reckless-driving prosecution by arranging for another person to appear in his place.

Mkhwanazi has denied wrongdoing in the various matters. 

The multiple investigations have also been examined against the backdrop of evidence presented before the Madlanga Commission.

The commission has heard allegations concerning police corruption, relationships between law-enforcement officials and private individuals, and the alleged misuse of police and municipal resources.

Those allegations remain subject to criminal investigations and court proceedings.

Then came the dismissal

Mkhwanazi’s employment with the City of Ekurhuleni also came to an end.

On 18 September, the City confirmed that he had been dismissed following internal disciplinary proceedings.

He had been suspended since November 2025 amid allegations of misconduct.

The city stressed that the suspension had originally been an administrative measure to protect the disciplinary process and was not itself a finding of guilt. 

His dismissal is separate from the criminal proceedings against him.

Being dismissed by the municipality does not establish criminal guilt, just as being charged does not amount to a conviction.

A remarkable sequence of arrests

Mkhwanazi’s case has now developed into one of the more complicated law-enforcement stories to emerge from the investigations surrounding the Madlanga Commission.

The sequence has included allegations involving:

• the alleged murder of Emmanuel Mbense;
• the alleged theft or unlawful seizure of precious stones worth approximately R14.9 million;
• alleged misconduct involving an Ekurhuleni city official;
• and the alleged unauthorised fitting of blue lights to private vehicles.

The investigations have also brought him into contact with several other controversial figures, including Matlala.

Matlala and Mkhwanazi have both denied wrongdoing in relation to the allegations they face.

What happens next?

The immediate focus remains on the Mbense murder case, where Mkhwanazi remains in custody after his bail application was unsuccessful.

His defence has indicated that it intends challenging the bail ruling.

The separate blue-lights case will continue through the criminal courts, while investigators pursue evidence concerning the alleged use of municipal resources and the registration of the vehicles.

The various criminal matters must ultimately be determined separately.

FACT BOX

Name: Julius Mkhwanazi
Former position: EMPD deputy chief
Current employment: Dismissed by the City of Ekurhuleni
Mbense case: Murder-related charges
Mbense bail: Denied on 15 September 2026
Fifth warrant: Served on 27 August 2026
Fifth warrant relates to: Blue-lights investigation
Blue-lights bail: R10,000 granted
Still in custody: Yes, because of the Mbense matter
Other investigations: Precious-stones case and other alleged misconduct

Crime Connect Legal Note

Mkhwanazi has not been convicted of the offences described above. He has denied wrongdoing, and the allegations in the various cases remain to be tested through the criminal justice process. The fact that multiple warrants or charges have been issued does not itself establish guilt.

The fifth warrant was issued in the blue-lights investigation; it should not be described as a new warrant in the Mbense murder case.