Suspended EMPD acting chief, Julius Mkhwanazi, has struggled to explain why he rushed to a 2am call to an operation and never the matter was never recorded.
Image: Kamogelo Moichela / IOL News
Suspended EMPD acting chief, Commissioner Julius Mkhwanazi, is under fire after failing to explain a late-night trip with no record linked to an alleged police operation, no clear operation, and no identified commander.
Testifying at the Madlanga Commission, Mkhwanazi said he rushed to a scene at 2am on April 15, 2022, after receiving a call from police informant Jaco Hanekom about the recovery of a stolen truck.
But his version quickly fell apart because there is no record of the call, no record of the operation and Mkhwanazi could not say who was in charge.
Commission chair Mbuyiseli Madlanga rejected his explanation, calling it “senseless” and “implausible,” and accused him directly of not telling the truth.
Mkhwanazi maintained he saw nothing and left when he realised SAPS was involved.That claim is disputed.
The late Witness D, Marius Van der Merwe, placed Mkhwanazi at the scene during the alleged disposal of a body, a claim Mkhwanazi denied.
The case relates to the death of Emmanuel Mbhense, who was arrested in April 2022 by the SA Police Service (SAPS) and EMPD in connection with a robbery in Boksburg.
He later died in custody. His body was dumped in a dam in Germiston.
Van der Merwe told the commission that Mkhwanazi ordered the disposal.
Evidence leader Adv. Mahlape Sello challenged Mkhwanazi’s version, saying it made no sense for a senior officer to respond to a 2am call just to witness a “success.”
“You are not being truthful,” Sello said.
“You could not have conceivably woken up at 2am when you are due for work the following day, just to go see the alleged success”.
Co-commissioner Sesi Baloyi also questioned why Mkhwanazi failed to account for EMPD vehicles at the scene.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has since implicated SAPS officers, EMPD members, and private security operatives in Mbhense’s killing and the alleged cover-up.
The inquiry is under way.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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