‘I did not install blue lights,’ EMPD’s Mkhwanazi tells Madlanga commission

Suspended Ekurhuleni metro police deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi has told the Madlanga commission he asked Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala to donate his fleet to the municipality to assist the department, but the process was “never” finalised.

Mkhwanazi appeared before the Madlanga inquiry into allegations of criminal infiltration and corruption in the justice cluster on Wednesday, after being implicated by several witnesses in unlawful conduct.

In September 2023, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) recommended that Mkhwanazi face disciplinary action after being implicated in having unlawfully authorised the installation of blue lights on vehicles belonging to Matlala.

Mkhwanazi told the commission that Matlala’s company, Cat VIP Protection Services, intended to donate the cars to the municipality at no cost to help the EMPD with their fleet because they were struggling.

He said he did not authorise the installation of blue lights because the donation process was never finalised.

“Between 2021 and 2022, members [operational unit police] informed me that Cat VIP Protection Security Services was going to change their vehicles. [Matlala] wanted to [up] his level with classic cars or highly performing quality cars, because he is targeting other clients from outside the country,” Mkhwanazi said.

Mkhwanazi said he arranged a meeting with Matlala to ask him to donate the cars to EMPD.

“I said, ‘Guys, you know that we are suffering. I will go and twist Mike [van Wyk of Cat VIP]. By then I was communicating with Matlala. I arranged and met with Vusi. He said he was changing the fleet, but his [old cars] are costing him with service. I said we do not have cars at the city of Ekurhuleni. I said if he can dump them to us, I wanted to twist his arm [sic].”

Mkhwanazi said he approached his boss at the time, EMPD deputy chief Goodman Mzolo, and was referred to Chris Stein, who handled the fleet registrations for the metro.

Stein registered the cars under the metro, but the cars were never delivered to the municipality because EMPD deputy chief Revo Spies raised concerns and there was “noise” on social media about the process being unlawful.

“We never received the cars physically,” he said.

“I did not install blue lights; I did not see the cars; they did not come to the city.”

Mkhwanazi said Stein allegedly told him there was no process to deal with donations in the municipality and he thought his actions were to help the metro.

Mkhwanazi further testified that EMPD police chief Isaac Mapiyeye signed an operational plan in which Cat VIP Protection Services was part of the backup at the Ekurhuleni state of the city address during Tania Campbell’s tenure.

He told the commission that Spies provided a forged operational plan to the commission, adamant that Mapiyeye was aware Cat VIP Security was part of operational plan for the address.