Mkhwanazi denies installing blue lights
Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) chief Julius Mkhwanazi has admitted that he gave permission for attempted-murder accused tenderpreneur Vusimusi 'Cat' Matlala’s security company staff to conduct police 'crime-fighting' operations – but used unsubstantiated claims of forgery to challenge evidence against him.
News24 reports that Mkhwanazi faced repeated warnings from commissioner Sandile Khumalo 'that there are consequences' for witnesses who come to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and fail to tell the truth.
Khumalo gave that warning after Mkhwanazi, who drank multiple bottles of water and repeatedly dabbed his face with a cloth during his evidence, belatedly tried to dispute the authenticity of an email linked to his self-admitted request for Matlala to provide eight security officers for the 2022 Ekurhuleni State of the City Address.
Mkhwanazi said he asked Matlala to donate his fleet to the municipality to assist the department, but the process was not finalised.
Business Day reports that Mkhwanazi told the commission that Matlala’s company, Cat VIP Protection Services, intended to donate the cars to the municipality at no cost to help the EMPD with their fleet because they were struggling.
He said he did not authorise the installation of blue lights because the donation process was never finalised.
‘Between 2021 and 2022, members informed me that Cat VIP Protection Security Services was going to change their vehicles. He wanted to up his level with classic cars or highly performing quality cars, because he is targeting other clients from outside the country,’ Mkhwanazi said.
He added that he arranged a meeting with Matlala to ask him to donate the vehicles.
Mkhwanazi said he approached his boss at the time, EMPD deputy chief Goodman Mzolo, and was referred to Chris Stein, who handled the fleet registrations for the metro.
Stein registered the cars under the metro, but the cars were never delivered to the municipality because EMPD deputy chief Revo Spies raised concerns and there was ‘noise’ on social media about the process being unlawful.
‘We never received the cars physically,’ he said.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
