Madlanga Commission | Julius Mkhwanazi denies blue-light saga, admits close ties to Matlala

Suspended EMPD acting chief Julius Mkhwanazi has conceded that he enjoyed a close working relationship with criminal tycoon, Vusimuzi “CAT” Matlala - but insisted he never installed blue lights on Matlala’s vehicles.

Testifying before the commission on Wednesday, Mkhwanazi said he never physically saw the cars at the centre of the scandal, and never authorised any branding or municipal registration of the private fleet.

Mkhwanazi delivered a defiant, lengthy account of his role in the 2022 Ekurhuleni State of the City Address (SOCA) security arrangements.

In the same breath, he repeatedly distanced himself from allegations that Matlala’s CAT VIP Security fraudulently slipped into official policing operations.

Mkhwanazi confirmed that he personally introduced Matlala to senior officials in former mayor Tania Campbell’s office in Germiston and acknowledged that CAT VIP was formally included in the operational plan for the SOCA.

He maintained, however, that the plan was approved at the senior EMPD level, at no cost to the city, and motivated solely by security threats reportedly raised by ANC structures at the time.

“I was told CAT VIP members were ex–special task force and highly skilled,” he said, adding that the company had offered its services “for free” as part of what he believed was “a marketing strategy.”

But Mkhwanazi denied ever receiving, inspecting or modifying the vehicles Matlala allegedly sought to “donate” to the EMPD — a version sharply contested by evidence previously presented to the commission.

“I did not install blue lights. I did not see the vehicles physically. I did not brand those cars,” he said.

He told the commission he was handed a “letter of intent to donate” from Matlala but insisted this never materialised because then-deputy chief Rievo Spies allegedly blocked the proposal.

Spies, in earlier testimony, accused Mkhwanazi of unlawfully signing MOUs in 2021 that allowed private vehicles to be fraudulently registered as municipal assets.

A second MOU with Matlala’s healthcare subsidiary, Medicare 24, granted the company power to draw blood at roadblocks and provide “legal advice” during drug busts — citing the CEO’s “health qualifications and legal degree” as justification.

Mkhwanazi rejected the allegation outright, accusing Spies of lying to the commission and producing a “false operational plan.”

According to Mkhwanazi, he turned to Matlala only after being briefed by then-Chief Jabulani Mapiyeye that the coalition government elected in late 2021 faced heightened security risks ahead of SOCA.

He said members of the EMPD’s SWAT unit had also indicated that CAT VIP could upgrade ageing EMPD vehicles to high-performance standards — an offer he claims he relayed transparently to fleet management.

Mkhwanazi continues his testimony.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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