Blood brothers: Julius Mkhwanazi told the Madlanga comission that he was “very, very close” to Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy
Senior City of Ekurhuleni officials who appeared before the Madlanga commission investigating corruption in the criminal justice system this week defended an “irregular” agreement with Cat VIP Protection Services as an “oversight”.
Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and former city manager Imogen Mashazi were questioned over the fitting of blue lights — reserved for official law enforcement on private vehicles supplied by Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s company.
Mkhwanazi is accused of authorising the fitting of blue lights on seven private vehicles supplied by Matlala, who faces murder charges and is the alleged leader of the Big Five cartel.
“I didn’t install blue lights, I didn’t brand the cars. I didn’t see the cars physically; they didn’t come to the city of Ekurhuleni,” Mkhwanazi told the commission.
Asked whether he had ever received money from Matlala, Mkhwanazi said they had a casual, “positive” relationship that included lunches, dinners, and even borrowing money.
“Sometimes he would give me money for petrol, and sometimes he would borrow money from me,” he said. He described Matlala as his “blood brother” and added that they were “very, very close”, although “the only thing he didn’t like was discussing politics”.
The senior EMPD officer denied receiving payment from Matlala to fit the private security company with official blue lights, but admitted that the latter assisted him financially when he was unemployed for some time.
Mkhwanazi defended the EMPD’s engagement with Cat VIP as a response to security threats and a vehicle shortage, saying the arrangement cost the city nothing.
“It was to assist in terms of emergency response when our officers are involved in accidents and incidents. So that they can get a very fast and efficient response,” he said.
A letter submitted to the EMPD from Matlala stated that the arrangement aimed “to enhance the EMPD’s efforts in crime prevention and community safety to assist in VIP protection training, tactical training and skills development”.
As director of specialised services at the time, Mkhwanazi admitted to introducing Cat VIP to the EMPD and approving the operational plan for security at the 2022 state of the city address. He said the city’s law enforcement had budget constraints and had been struggling.
“It was at no cost to the city. [Matlala] said, ‘I’ll just provide my guys to assist’. He didn’t charge us anything. I think for him it was part of a marketing strategy,” Mkhwanazi said, adding that the vehicles supplied by the company were not branded.
Mkhwanazi described the deal as “an endless working relationship and memorandum of understanding with Cat VIP to assist EMPD officers in any VIP protection and Security Services in and out of the City of Ekurhuleni”.
“I read and signed,” he said.
Mkhwanazi told the commission that Matlala later upgraded his fleet to “classy, high-performing quality cars because he was targeting clients from outside the country”.
He said he had asked Matlala to donate older vehicles to the EMPD and sought permission from EMPD regional manager Chris Steyn, who instructed him to obtain a letter of intent.
“I called Mr Matlala, and he said, ‘No, it’s fine, Julius, you can do that,’” Mkhwanazi said.
He said he was excited to acquire vehicles because his unit relied on ageing cars that frequently broke down. Still, Steyn reconsidered after complaints from the then-deputy chief of police, Revo Spies.
Spies earlier testified at the commission that Cat VIP had effectively “outsourced law enforcement” in Ekurhuleni. He said “unlawful” memorandums signed in June and October 2021 allowed Cat VIP Protection to operate vehicles — including BMWs, a Mercedes-Benz and a Volkswagen — fitted with blue lights, and even to hire a helicopter that the municipality could use for only two hours a month.
Spies said the memorandum authorised Cat VIP’s vehicles to attend crime scenes as though they were official EMPD units, and that there had been plans for Cat VIP to protect the Ekurhuleni mayor. He added that the agreement extended to Matlala’s Medicare24 healthcare company, which was even authorised to draw blood during traffic checks.
Mkhwanazi said disagreements within Ekurhuleni were politically driven, especially those with “former National Party bureaucrats like Spies”.
“The tension between me and Revo Spies started when we were coming in. Before we joined the metro, we were from different political parties, and we were young and participating, and we are not apologetic about that,” he said.
Suspended city labour relations director Xolani Nciza told the inquiry that senior officials — including Mashazi, legal services head Kemi Behari and HR boss Linda Gxasheka — interfered in disciplinary processes to protect Mkhwanazi. Nciza challenged Mkhwanazi’s claim of an institutional relationship with Cat VIP: “There is no working relationship, let alone an endless one. He had a working relationship, not [with] the municipality.”
On Tuesday, Mashazi defended herself before the commission, saying she had not properly perused the memorandum and denying that she stopped disciplinary processes against the EMPD’s Mkhwanazi.
Mashazi admitted that Mkhwanazi had no authority to enter into the memorandum and described the arrangement as “irregular”.
Video evidence has been presented before the commission where Mkhwanazi is heard to say that “I will take a bullet for Mashazi”.
Both Mkhwanazi and Mashazi testified that there was significant criminality and internal disputes within the EMPD. Mashazi accused EMPD chief of police Isaac Mapiyeye of sexual misconduct and alleged he fathered many children with female staff within the department.
She told the commission she had referred the blue-lights matter to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and to the city’s head of legal services, Behari. Still, the Madlanga commissioners questioned whether that was sufficient.
“I have not stopped any of the disciplinary processes from continuing,” Mashazi said, insisting she had “done nothing wrong” and describing the IPID report as “vague”.
She told the commission that the municipality’s management was dominated by men who demanded sexual favours from junior staff.
According to Mashazi, Mapiyeye presided over “a systematic abuse of authority by the [EMPD] chief of police” against women referred to as “angels”.
Commission chairperson, Mbuyiseli Madlanga, pressed Mashazi on why she had not been more decisive as city manager, given that allegations dated back to 2016, asking why she was not “proactive” when she became aware of the claims.
Mashazi said no one wanted to make a formal complaint, so she could not pursue disciplinary action. She also alleged that Mapiyeye had been cleared of a drunken-driving incident in which he broke his arm, and said it was ironic that he faced no charges while she was called to testify.
Throughout her testimony, commissioners probed whether Mashazi was raising harassment claims to deflect from her failure to hold Mkhwanazi to account.
Mashazi denied interfering in disciplinary processes to shield Mkhwanazi, telling them: “I was far from this process and I wouldn’t tell who told them to stop. They must prove that I’ve called when or wrote to them or messaged them to stop.”
She reiterated that criminality within the EMPD was widespread and that ultimate accountability rested with Mapiyeye. Commissioners noted, however, that she had supported Mapiyeye’s reappointment in 2021.
In response, Mashazi said his performance had been rated as good, and her “hands were tied” because she believed he was politically connected.
Throughout her testimony, Mashazi claimed she could not respond to the details of the allegations made against her, stating that she had defended Mkhwanazi in meetings and accused Mapiyeye and Spies of dereliction of duty.
Witnesses have described Mashazi as a draconian city manager who reigned over the city for over two decades.
She was also questioned about a television interview in which she asserted there was “no case” against Mkhwanazi. Mashazi said she “did not pay too much attention” to the blue lights allegations at the time.
She maintained she was unaware that Matlala’s vehicles had been fitted with blue lights and said she only learnt about the IPID report at a later stage. Mashazi rejected accusations from Spies, Mapiyeye and Nciza that she interfered in disciplinary processes to shield Mkhwanazi.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi criticised Mashazi’s frequent lapses in recollection.
“Did you come here to assist the commission with answers like ‘I don’t recall’ on such an important issue … you sit there and say I don’t recall, it suggests that you may not be taking this process seriously,” Baloyi said.