By Johnathan Paoli
Acting Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) chief Julius Mkhwanazi has taken special leave amid mounting allegations linking him to the so-called “blue-lights scandal” involving controversial businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala.
The scandal, which centres on the alleged misuse of police resources and state protection services for private interests, has widened in recent weeks, drawing scrutiny over possible cover-ups within the metro police.
“The city did not put any blue-lights. I was part of the process, I didn’t put any blue-lights. Go and check the processes of the city, this is a public institution. That comes part of certain individuals attempting to kill somebody’s name and commit character assassination,” Mkhwanazi said.
The allegations first emerged last week when KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that Julius Mkhwanazi facilitated the registration of private vehicles under the municipality and allowed them to be fitted with blue lights reserved for police and emergency services.
The vehicles were allegedly linked to Matlala’s private security company, CAT VIP Services.
While both Mkhwanazi and the municipality have denied any wrongdoing, insisting that all processes followed the law, reports have painted a more troubling picture.
Former municipal employee relations head Xolani Nciza revealed that an internal probe in 2023 exposed irregularities, including a forged donation letter used to register high-end vehicles, including a BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3-Series, and VW Golf, as EMPD assets.
Reports earlier this week indicated that city-owned vehicles mysteriously changed ownership to Matlala’s company on the national administration traffic information system within months of being registered by the municipality.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) described this as evidence of “wrongful behaviour” and said the city incurred unjustified registration and licensing costs for cars that never entered municipal custody.
The scandal has intensified scrutiny of the city’s public-private partnership programme, which allows private security companies to support law enforcement under EMPD oversight.
While the municipality insists the framework is legal and tightly regulated, the Matlala case has raised fears that the partnerships are open to abuse.
Matlala himself is currently detained at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in Pretoria on charges including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and fraud.
His alleged ties to EMPD leadership are now central to the inquiry, casting a shadow over the city’s crime-fighting initiatives.
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