How power collided with crime in Gauteng metros

JOHANNESBURG – When the chips started falling within law enforcement, it was only a matter of time before the trail led to alleged criminality within municipalities.

The City of Ekurhuleni and City of Tshwane found themselves at centre stage during testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where witnesses painted a picture of alleged corruption and criminality.

In Ekurhuleni, the Commission heard details of alleged links between suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi and alleged underworld kingpin Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

Evidence before the Commission alleged that vehicles linked to Matlala were registered under the City of Ekurhuleni and fitted with blue lights. 

Mkhwanazi told the Commission that he first met Matlala in 2021, after being introduced to him by Mike van Wyk, founder of Medicare24. 

READ | Julius Mkhwanazi accused of receiving several payments from ‘Cat’ Matlala

According to his testimony, the pair developed a cordial relationship and interacted regularly.

The trio became cordial, with regular interactions in which Mkhwanazi and Matlala eventually referred to each other by their first names.

What began as a professional relationship evolved into what Mkhwanazi himself described as a brotherly bond.

He said Matlala wanted to improve his business operations. Mkhwanazi’s allegations revealed how Matlala’s vehicles were ‘donations’ to the City.

READ | Mkhwanazi: I can’t go to jail for something I didn’t do

That was how CAT VIP vehicles, according to Mkhwanazi, were registered. 

 

The suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) chief was thrown further under the bus when more evidence was provided by his ex-lover, who was known to the Commission as Witness K, after she testified in-camera. 

She implicated Mkhwanazi in the 2023 theft of precious stones valued at R14.9 million.

Witness K, who was also a JMPD VIP protection unit inspector, testified that she became romantically involved with Mkhwanazi in 2022.

READ | CAT VIP had ‘good intentions’ for EMPD, says Mkhwanazi

Shas admitted her role in the 2023 operation, detailing to the Commission how she passed on information about the stones after Mkhwanazi repeatedly pressed her for details.

Mkhwanazi on the other hand allegedly arranged for officers to seize the stones from their owner unlawfully.

The picture got even darker when former EMPD official Marius van der Merwe, who was identified as Witness D, implicated Mkhwanazi in a murder cover-up in Brakpan. 

According to van der Merwe, Mkhwanazi instructed him to discard of a body in a nearby dam. 

When the spotlight over time moved to the City of Tshwane, the situation did not prove any better, as the City’s own rotten roots were exposed. 

The Commission heard evidence of alleged corruption and tender irregularities within the metro, also pointing to senior officials. 

The first domino to fall was ActionSA councillor Kholofelo Morodi.

She was placed on special leave after she was implicated in tender rigging. 

READ | Tshwane MMC Kholofelo Morodi axed

She was accused of allegedly sharing internal tender documents concerning land lease tenders with suspended sergeant Fannie Nkosi.

 

Next was Deputy Chief of the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), Umashi Dhlamini.

He was implicated in tender irregularities related to a lucrative security contract.

And then there was the City’s Chief Financial Officer, Gareth Mnisi, who faced a heated round of questioning at the Commission.

No matter how many times he tried to dodge the questions, he always found himself backed into a corner as Commissioners repeatedly poked holes in his testimony. 

Mnisi was implicated in tender rigging and procurement irregularities allegations.

He was also questioned on his role in influencing the awarding of contracts to preferred bidders.

At the centre of the probe were two security tenders in the Tshwane metro.

Minsi has denied any wrongdoing, telling the Commission he has no business interests and has never received any form of gratification from companies bidding for City contracts. 

A forensic report seen by eNCA recommended disciplinary action against Mnisi.

READ | Mnisi accused of sharing sensitive information

The report alleged that Mnisi failed to declare his directorships in companies and did not disclose his relationship with a construction company involved in two municipal tenders.

Governance expert Professor Sam Koma, who spoke to eNCA on the revelations that have come forward at the Commission, did not mince his words.

He said the revelations coming out of the Madlanga Commission, less than a year after its inception, affirm that corruption and fraud in the local government sector are deep-rooted. 

Additionally, he said this sphere of government has been operating under the radar and escaped public scrutiny for many years.

“The phenomenon of institutional capture of local government by criminal networks comprising extortionists, tender riggers, and manipulators has been laid bare as a result of the work of the Madlanga Commission,” he said. 

Koma painted a grim picture as he claimed how law enforcement officials, politicians and businesspeople all have a stake in the tender pie of the metros. 

Because while those who sit at the helm of high positions and are entrusted to manage public resources, enforce laws, and deliver essential services to the public start fighting overpower and money, ordinary citizens bear the harsh brunt, he said.

“Corruption in local government has contributed to the provision of low-quality basic services, poor quality of life, and rising cost of the provision of basic services in the metros, Koma said. 

He warned that if nothing changes after the Commission’s revelations, communities, civil society and the media must exercise vigilance to safeguard public funds and demand accountability.