Julius Mkhwanazi, the suspended deputy chief of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD), has addressed the controversy surrounding the unauthorised use of police blue lights, claiming he is the victim of a calculated “succession battle”.
Appearing before parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating corruption in the criminal justice system, Mkhwanazi faced intense probing from MPs.
The committee is examining allegations that he illegally fitted private vehicles belonging to alleged crime boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala with police blue lights and fraudulently registered them as City of Ekurhuleni property.
During his testimony, Mkhwanazi provided details regarding his close relationship with Matlala. He informed the committee that he first learnt of Matlala through Medicare24 director Mike van Wyk, who provided free health services to the EMPD. Van Wyk was a close associate of Matlala, who also served as a director of Medicare24.
Mkhwanazi said he later discovered Matlala owned a VIP security company, Cat VIP, which has been implicated in the “blue lights” saga.
He was initially suspended for three months in February 2023 over these allegations before being reinstated. Mkhwanazi expressed surprise at receiving a letter stating he was being investigated for the improper use of his position. Furthermore, he claimed he was never informed of the investigation’s outcome after his suspension was lifted.
Regarding the blue lights and registration of vehicles, no branding was done and no work was authorised
— Julius Mkhwanazi, suspended EMPD deputy chief
Mkhwanazi dismissed the accusations as a fabrication, explaining that the vehicles were not being illegally outfitted but were part of a formal donation process.
“Regarding the blue lights and registration of vehicles, no branding was done and no work was authorised,” Mkhwanazi testified.
“I did not grant any authorisation for the alleged work that has been widely circulated in the media. The vehicles were in the initial stages of being processed as a donation to the City of Ekurhuleni, a request initiated by proxy Chris Stein.”
He emphasised that police equipment cannot be installed haphazardly. “You don’t just wake up and decide to put a blue light on a car; there is a process. It cannot be done [without authorisation].”
He added that Matlala’s plans even included the donation of a helicopter for emergency services.
When ANC MP Khusela Diko asked about the origin of these allegations, Mkhwanazi pointed to internal politics. He claimed a source informed him of a plot initiated by suspended EMPD chief Isaac Mapiyeye and “his people”.
“I was called a ‘blue lights blesser’, but I asked them to show me those lights. I never saw them,” Mkhwanazi said. “It was character assassination intended to deal with me, and it succeeded — it went everywhere. If they saw those vehicles, where are the case numbers or the photos? There is nothing to this day.”
MK Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo asked why he was being targeted in a succession battle, Mkhwanazi suggested his operational style made him a threat to those in power.
“I am not a person who handles ‘projects’; I come from the side of operations. I was never part of the inner circle of those who sit in offices. I think I am a problematic man to them because I investigate buildings that were paid for but never finished, and I always complain about insufficient resources like vehicles, uniforms and bulletproof vests.”
Mkhwanazi also addressed his “brother-like” relationship with Matlala, insisting it created no conflict of interest. However, he admitted to receiving money from the businessman on three separate occasions: twice to assist with funeral costs (each amount totalling about R25,000) and once to purchase cows.
While he claimed to be an “honest man”, Mkhwanazi admitted he only partially disclosed these gifts.
Nomvalo: “Did you disclose the monies you received from Matlala?”
Mkhwanazi: “Yes, I disclosed the money for the cows to the city. The other two payments that were transferred to my account for the funerals, I did not disclose.”
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