By Johnathan Paoli
The Madlanga Commission investigating the alleged infiltration of criminal elements within the criminal justice system adjourned late Thursday after the conclusion of testimony by former Ekurhuleni Employment relations head Xolani Nciza, whose evidence highlighted allegations of corruption, intimidation and internal manipulation within the municipality.
Over two days of testimony, Nciza detailed what he described as a “protection network” built around Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi, the embattled head of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD).
He said a group of senior officials including City Manager Imogen Mashazi, Head of Legal Services Kemi Behari and Human Resources Chief Nkululeko Gxasheka; worked to shield Mkhwanazi from accountability even after damning investigative findings.
On Thursday afternoon, Nciza revisited the controversial salary hikes given to Behari and Gxasheka shortly after the disciplinary charges against Mkhwanazi were mysteriously dropped.
He said there was no rational basis or council approval for these increases, adding that both officials were still on probation at the time.
He suggested that the raises were rewards for their roles in ensuring that charges against the brigadier were quashed.
“What shocked me most is that someone facing serious allegations of gross dishonesty in early 2023 ended up promoted by the end of the year. I had never seen anything like it,” Nciza told the committee.
Nciza said Mkhwanazi’s promotion was highly irregular because he had not completed the standard competency test or panel interview process.
“It sent shivers down my spine,” he said, stressing that the allegations of corruption against the brigadier have never been disproven.
Nciza’s testimony revisited the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) report, which found a strong case of corruption against Mkhwanazi.
IPID had recommended disciplinary action and possible prosecution.
However, Ekurhuleni’s official response dismissed these findings as incorrect and even described IPID’s recommendations as mere suggestions.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi slammed the city’s reply as a nonsense document, questioning whether the authors were even legally qualified.
Nciza replied that they were, but said he doubted they had written the document themselves.
“It was a defence letter, it basically told IPID: leave Julius alone,” he said.
Nciza went on to describe how his life unravelled after he raised concerns about the Mkhwanazi affair.
Suspended in September 2023 and later dismissed without a hearing, he accused the municipality of invoking a “war zone” clause to justify his summary termination.
He recounted repeated acts of intimidation: dozens of police vehicles arriving at his home to deliver labour documents, sirens blaring, in front of his neighbours.
Nciza said that between September 2023 and January 2024, 48 EMPD officers using 23 vehicles were deployed to serve him with suspension notices, charge sheets, and other correspondence, almost all from units under Mkhwanazi’s control.
The former official also revealed details of an October 2024 forensic report, which he said was commissioned to suppress the Mkhwanazi scandal.
The report, supposedly probing breaches of the POPI Act and irregular legal fees, became a tool to trace anonymous whistleblower emails that had exposed the brigadier’s quashed charges.
According to Nciza, Mashazi and Behari later used the report to tell the media that Mkhwanazi had been cleared.
He described it as a witch hunt targeting whistleblowers and senior EMPD officers who had tried to hold Mkhwanazi accountable.
“The City paid R45,000 in legal fees that were later labelled ‘fruitless and wasteful expenditure’. This was never about accountability, it was about covering up,” Nciza said.
Nciza, who served the municipality for two decades and once held a respected position in the bargaining council, said the fallout had devastated his life.
He recounted harassment, stigma and even an alleged assassination attempt.
Efforts were also made to remove him from his ministry in the Anglican Church, though he eventually retained his position.
His labour dispute with the municipality remains unresolved more than two years later.
As the proceedings adjourned, the commissioners thanked Nciza for his evidence, noting that his testimony raised serious procedural and ethical concerns that the panel would address in its final findings.
The next witness to take the stand tomorrow morning will be the head of EMPD’s Media and Public Relations Unit Lieutenant Colonel Kelebogile Thepa.
INSIDE METROS