Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and the municipality’s suspended head of legal services, Advocate Kemi Behari, have each been granted bail of R50,000 after appearing in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court on corruption-related charges.
The pair are among four current and former senior municipal officials accused of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice. They appeared alongside former Ekurhuleni city manager Imogen Mashazi and former head of human resources Linda Gxasheka.
The court postponed the bail applications of Mashazi and Gxasheka until Friday to allow prosecutors to complete verification of their residential addresses. During proceedings, Mashazi’s legal team argued that police investigators had sufficient resources to finalise the verification without delaying the matter, while Gxasheka’s lawyer said any prolonged postponement would unfairly prejudice his client, who is the mother of a four-year-old child. The magistrate said the interests of justice, including the welfare of minor children, had to be weighed before making a bail decision.
As part of his bail conditions, Mkhwanazi was ordered not to contact City of Ekurhuleni employees working in the finance, procurement or human resources departments except where necessary for disciplinary proceedings.
Mkhwanazi is already out on R30,000 bail in a separate corruption case linked to Ekurhuleni municipal manager Kagiso Lerutla. The latest charges arise from an investigation into allegations that senior municipal officials interfered with disciplinary and legal processes involving the suspended metro police chief.
The arrests follow evidence presented before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where witnesses alleged that disciplinary action against Mkhwanazi was deliberately stalled for years. Former municipal employee relations head Xolani Nciza testified that proceedings against the EMPD deputy chief were unexpectedly halted in 2023. The commission also heard allegations that Behari and Gxasheka received irregular salary increases worth about R600,000 in exchange for ensuring the disciplinary matter did not proceed.
In affidavits filed before the court, both Mkhwanazi and Behari denied the allegations against them. Behari has also rejected claims that he accepted a bribe, maintaining that the accusations are false and without factual basis.
The case forms part of a wider anti-corruption investigation stemming from evidence presented before the Madlanga Commission, which is probing allegations of criminal infiltration, political interference and corruption within South Africa’s law enforcement and municipal structures. The matter will return to court on Friday for the remaining bail applications.
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