Video shows EMPD deputy chief pledged ‘to take a bullet’ for city manager

Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi was captured on video telling metro city manager Imogen Mashazi he “will take a bullet” for her shortly after he was promoted.

Mkhwanazi was promoted by Mashazi after he was found by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) to have unlawfully facilitated the fitting of blue lights, reserved for law enforcement agencies, to vehicles belonging to attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s security company.

The Madlanga commission, which is investigating allegations of criminal infiltration in the state justice and security system, was shown the video in which Mkhwanazi was heard telling his boss Mashazi, “We will die for you; I will take a bullet for you” during a party attended by other municipality officials in December 2023.

The video, shown on Thursday, was part of evidence given by Xolani Nciza, the metro’s former divisional employee relations director, who explained how Mkhwanazi was shielded from facing a disciplinary process by Mashazi, adding that the two had a “close relationship”.

Mashazi can be heard in the video responding, “Thank you so much.”

Nciza said: “The only instance where a person is expected to take a bullet is in the line of duty; the person who would be expected to take a bullet is the person protecting the principal.”

He described the relationship as inappropriate. The officials in the video can be heard singing to Mashazi, “This is our mother, who has birthed us.”

Nciza told the commission Mashazi and her management team were “hell-bent” on protecting Mkhwanazi after he was implicated in the blue light scandal.

Mashazi and other senior management went so far as to change labour relations reporting rules to shield Mkhwanazi, he said.

Nciza told the commission he had held an emergency meeting with Mashazi, the metro’s human resources head Linda Gxasheka and legal head Kemi Behari on August 21 2023 after a whistleblower sent an email to News24 alleging Mkhwanazi was being protected from disciplinary action.

He told the commission Mashazi led the project to protect Mkhwanazi.

The Madlanga commission is investigating systematic weaknesses and allegations of criminal infiltration of the security and justice cluster.

Nciza said he was questioned about the leak of Mkhwanazi’s charge sheet to the media after he appointed attorneys to probe Mkhwanazi’s case.

He described the meeting with Mashazi as “hostile” and said his department was accused of being the weak link.

“I was questioned about my authority and power to appoint attorneys to investigate [allegations about Mkhwanazi]. I answered that it was the directive of the labour relations and that it had been in effect for more than two decades.”

Nciza said Mashazi was unhappy and said his power to appoint attorneys “should change”. Gxasheka responded that she would change that and effectively strip Nciza of the power to appoint attorneys.

Nciza said Mashazi had told him he could not discipline Mkhwanazi because he was a senior employee.

At the time, Mkhwanazi held the rank of brigadier and headed the EMPD special services division. He was promoted to the position of deputy police chief, allegedly by Mashazi, in December 2023.

“I have disciplined people who are more senior than Julius, but I was told it was wrong,” Nciza said.

“I was shaken by the emerging pattern of interference in this matter. I have served under five city managers, and none of them interfered in labour relations matters. From 2016 to 2021, Mashazi never interfered [in matters]. She would sign the appointments of attorneys. [This] was the first interference,” Nciza said.

“For the first time, senior management was hell-bent on protecting the employee [Mkhwanazi]. They acted as if they were the shop stewards of the employee.”

Read: Ekurhuleni metro managers ‘hell-bent’ on protecting Mkhwanazi, witness says

He said the labour reporting rules were changed for cases set for investigation to be reported to Behari before a probe.

Nciza said Gxasheka and Behari interfered with the disciplinary hearing of Mkhwanazi and did not follow the law in their conduct.

In a letter on August 22 2023 Nciza challenged the senior managers. “Since when does the HOD [head of department] HR [Gxasheka] stop the serving of a charge sheet to an employee?” he wrote.

“Why was this done with this specific case [Mkhwanazi]? Where in the prescript of the municipality does the HOD HR have the authority to stop the disciplinary process from proceeding?

“If there is no legal prescript giving the two officials [Behari and Gxasheka] the authority to interfere and, in fact, stop disciplinary proceedings against an employee even after a prosecutor had determined the existence of probable cause for the institution of a disciplinary hearing, what steps is the accounting officer going to take to handle the blatant misconduct of the said senior managers?”

Nciza said Behari found there was no case against Mkhwanazi.

The commission has also heard from other witnesses that Mashazi, Gxasheka and Behari allegedly protected Mkhwanazi.

Nciza said he was suspended two weeks after the August meeting. He was fired in 2024.

Former EMPD deputy chief Revo Spies told the commission earlier this week about the systematic failure of disciplinary procedures in the department on matters related to Mkhwanazi and other officers under his command.

He said everyone who followed up on Mkhwanazi’s disciplinary process, including himself, was pushed out of the municipality.