Ekurhuleni head Kemi Behari suspended over Julius Mkhwanazi matter

By Johnathan Paoli

The City of Ekurhuleni has confirmed the precautionary suspension of its Legal and Risk Services department head, Advocate Kemi Behari.

The suspension follows a council resolution empowering the city manager to act in terms of municipal disciplinary regulations for senior managers.

Behari faces allegations, raised in evidence before the Madlanga Commission and in relation to an Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) report, that he failed to implement IPID-recommended disciplinary action against suspended metro police deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi.

Mkhwanazi – who will be appearing before the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday – is himself accused of entering the metro police into a fraudulent contract with alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala that enabled his private companies to be unlawfully issued with the city’s blue and red lights.

The city, however, has stressed that the precautionary suspension is not a finding of guilt, does not constitute disciplinary action, and