Suspended EMPD head admits to refusing criminal record check

Suspended Acting Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Head, Julius Mkhwanazi, has admitted that he refused to have his fingerprints taken, as well as those of his team members, for criminal record checks during a department-wide vetting process in 2022.

The 2022 vetting process saw almost four thousand EMPD officers’ fingerprints taken for criminal record checks. While close to three hundred officers were found to have criminal records, Mkhwanazi refused to participate in the process, claiming it was flawed.

The Refusal and the Rationale
Mkhwanazi claims the reason he, and his team, did not comply with orders to avail themselves for the fingerprint criminal record checks was because a private service provider was outsourced to perform the work. He believes the company favoured certain individuals within the EMPD.

"I said let’s do it with a recognised institution, a government institution, where the process won’t be manipulated."

As a senior officer at the time, Mkhwanazi was required to be vetted, but he claims only State Security could perform the check for him.

"Let State Security come here so we can give (it to them). I won’t give (my fingerprints) to any junior."

Vetting Results Revealed
During his testimony last month, retired Deputy EMPD Chief, Revo Spies, revealed the results of the 2022 vetting process. Of the 3,762 EMPD officers vetted:

275 had previous convictions.

An additional 100 were awaiting trial.