WATCH | ‘I was suspended for unmasking plans to protect Julius Mkhwanazi from DC’

The former head of employee relations in the City of Ekurhuleni says he was suspended because he had exposed “malice” in the attempts to protect embattled Brig Julius Mkhwanazi from facing disciplinary proceedings.

Mkhwanazi, the city’s deputy police chief, was suspended this week.

Xolani Nciza told the commission on Thursday that on August 29 2023 he wrote an email to the office of the then city manager, Imogen Mashazi, raising concerns about her conduct in interfering with his duties.

Among Nciza’s concerns was that 50% of his labour relations unit was taken away from him to “protect” Mkhwanazi from being disciplined for allegedly fitting blue lights to vehicles belonging to alleged drug cartel member Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

The [pre-suspension letter] went to the extent of exposing the malice that the municipal manager and the two HODs had.

—  Xolani Nciza

The roles of overseeing the disciplinary actions against staff members were given to the head of HR, Linda Gxasheka, and advocate Kemi Behari, who served as head of legal services, he said.

Nciza said a few days after sending the email, he was served with a pre-suspension letter.

He said Gxasheka and Behari took a decision that Mkhwanazi would not face disciplinary hearings because his personal information was leaked to a journalist, which is against the Protection of Personal Information Act.

“The [pre-suspension letter] went to the extent of exposing the malice that the municipal manager and the two HODs had. In their attempts to protect [Brig] Mkhwanazi, and therefore to deal with anybody and everybody who was involved,” he said.

The hearing continues.

Sowetan