By Johnathan Paoli
Former Ekurhuleni City Manager Imogen Mashazi has been accused of shielding suspended deputy police chief Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi, the Madlanga Commission heard on Wednesday.
Evidence presented by former Employee Relations Head Xolani Nciza suggested that Mashazi attempted to protect Mkhwanazi from accountability despite mounting concerns over misconduct, fraudulent agreements, and possible collusion with local businessman and tenderpreneur Vusimsi “Cat” Matlala.
Nciza testified that by late 2022, he was handling numerous complaints about Mkhwanazi’s conduct, including irregular memorandums of understanding (MOUs) he had signed with Matlala’s companies, Cat Security Services and Medicare 24 Emergency Medical Services.
The agreements, signed in 2021 and 2022 without any municipal authorisation or legal review, were framed as “working relationships” that began during the Covid-19 pandemic.
But according to Nciza, there was no record of municipal consultation, no co-signature from the city, and no legal or procedural basis for such cooperation.
Nciza added that the documents appeared to have been deliberately backdated and crafted to justify the presence of Matlala’s security personnel at municipal events, including the March 2022 State of the City address.
According to Nciza, the alleged collusion extended to an attempt to register vehicles from Matlala’s company as EMPD property, complete with blue lights.
He credited a News24 investigation led by journalist Jeff Wicks with exposing the irregular registration and forcing the vehicles’ deregistration before they could be used for unknown and possibly illicit purposes.
But the most explosive portion of his testimony concerned City Manager Mashazi’s reaction once disciplinary proceedings were initiated against Mkhwanazi.
Nciza told the Commission that after he recommended extending Mkhwanazi’s suspension, partly due to a murder case involving his subordinates and his alleged role in covering up the scene, Mashazi called him directly and started screaming.
“She was furious about the planned extension of Mkhwanazi’s suspension and insisted that he should return to work. She told me: ‘You must leave Julius alone’,” Nciza said.
Nciza described Mashazi’s tone as vitriolic and personal, noting that she made no effort to engage with the underlying evidence against the deputy chief.
This was despite the fact that, according to Nciza, he had fully briefed her on the allegations and she had initially supported an internal investigation.
“It became clear that IPID was not going to make the imminent arrests that had resulted in Mkhwanazi’s disciplinary inquiry being delayed. When we sought to extend the suspension, that’s when everything changed. Suddenly, Dr. Mashazi’s entire demeanor shifted from supportive to hostile,” Nciza testified.
The commission continues.
INSIDE METROS