Suspended Ekurhuleni legal head denies advising against action on corrupt official

Ekurhuleni’s suspended Head of Legal, Kemi Behari, says he never advised the City Manager to take disciplinary action against a senior Metro Police officer accused of fraud and corruption.

In 2023, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) recommended that disciplinary action be taken against EMPD’s Deputy Chief, Julius Mkhwanazi, for entering the police department into an irregular contract with a private security company linked to suspected crime boss Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala.

Mkhwanazi arranged for blue lights to be fitted into the cars of Cat VIP Protection Services.

Ekurhuleni’s suspended Head of Legal, Kemi Behari, is accused of being part of a clique of senior municipal officials who protected EMPD’s Deputy Chief, Julius Mkhwanazi, from accountability.

When Ekurhuleni’s former City Manager, Imogen Mashazi, appeared before the Madlanga Commission last year, she said she was advised by the municipality’s legal department that IPID’s charges against Mkhwanazi were not sustainable.

Behari, who heads up the legal department, was grilled by Commissioner Sandile Khumalo on this.

SK: "Is that what you told the CM, that the charges are not sustainable?"

KB: "We believed the charges were not sustainable. Yes, that’s correct."

SK: "So then how can you expect the CM to proceed to charge Julius Mkhwanazi if you yourself [thought] that the charges are not sustainable?"

KB: "Because of the process we are still embarking to clarify."

Despite wanting clarification on certain matters in Mkhwanazi’s case, Behari told the Commission he never followed up with IPID.

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