Madlanga Commission | Acting EMPD head implicated in a string of serious crimes

Former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Chief of Police for Auxiliary and Support Services, Revo Spies, has made explosive allegations linking acting EMPD head, Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi, and several other officers to serious criminal activities — including murder, kidnapping, extortion, and theft.

Spies testified before the Madlanga Commission on Monday for a second day, recounting what he described as deep-rooted corruption within the EMPD.

He told the commission that during a meeting with IPID in March 2023 — when he sought to file a formal complaint against Mkhwanazi — he discovered that the brigadier and several other officers were already under investigation for multiple serious offences.

According to Spies, IPID informed the EMPD that a group of officers from the Specialised Services Section, previously under Brigadier Deon Singh, were implicated in copper and cobalt theft, kidnapping, extortion, and murder, among other crimes.

“In one case, the officers allegedly kidnapped a shop owner and hijacked his supply truck, abandoning him in a remote area,” Spies testified.

In another case, he said Chief, Isaac Mapiyeye, tried to alert Ekurhuleni Municipal Manager, Imogen Mashazi, after discovering that the same group had allegedly stolen precious stones meant for export. But Mapiyeye was reportedly instructed to stay out of the matter, and both cases were buried.

Spies said the only case that resulted in arrests involved officers raiding a foreign national’s shop, confiscating boxes of cigarettes, and abducting the shop owner — who was later found dumped on the roadside.

“The matter was provisionally withdrawn by the prosecutor in April this year. This was after the matter was remanded numerous times; I can say more than ten times. There is a list of dates on the side of the charge sheet where you can see how many times it was postponed,” Spies said.

Whistleblower assassinated

Spies also revealed that another whistleblower, Jaco Hanekom, was assassinated shortly after exposing information about the group’s alleged criminal network.

“Hanekom was gunned down on 17 March 2023 — about ten days after submitting key evidence to the EMPD in connection with a cobalt theft case involving Brigadier Mkhwanazi,” Spies testified.

He added that during a March 2023 meeting with IPID to open a misconduct case against Mkhwanazi, officials discovered that the brigadier was already implicated in a 2022 murder case — in which he allegedly instructed a civilian to dispose of a body found in a dam.

According to Spies, the victim had been suffocated with a plastic tube by the same group of officers.

Spies said one witness had filed a statement with SAPS, and the matter was subsequently taken over by IPID.

“He submitted a 204 application and a statement as well. He said the person who they were torturing and interrogating he actually pleaded with the assailants saying he has money in the house and that he will pay them R500 000 but the next moment they killed this person. On the scene, they called Brigadier Mkhwanazi after the murder took place and Mkhwanazi arrived at the scene with a white golf and proceeded to direct them on how to clean the scene and they then placed the body of the victim on this civilian person’s bakkie and instructed him to go dump the body, which he then did,” he added.

Rogue operations and private security involvement

Spies said that despite numerous allegations and ongoing investigations, no disciplinary or criminal action has been taken against Mkhwanazi or his alleged accomplices.

He further accused private security companies, particularly CAT VIP Security Services, of unlawfully participating in EMPD and Hawks tactical operations.

He testified that units involved in these rogue activities included the Hawks, TOMS, Special Task Force, CAT VIP Security, Bad Boys Security, and K9 Law Enforcement — coordinated by the DPCI, which handled operational planning.

“They were operating rogue — conducting arrests and investigations in Hammanskraal, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State, far outside Ekurhuleni’s jurisdiction,” Spies said.

“They performed criminal investigations, which is solely the SAPS’s function. They had no authority to do so.”

He alleged that these unlawful operations were facilitated by Mkhwanazi, who worked closely with CAT VIP Security owner Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala.

Death threats and lack of protection

Spies said his efforts to discipline Mkhwanazi and others were continually obstructed, and that he began receiving death threats last year.

“I was told to look after myself. The city said it would not cover my security costs,” he said.

He added that investigators had recommended security measures for his home, but City Manager Mashazi refused to authorise the expenditure.

“I couldn’t believe the city’s response. Chief Mapiyeye confirmed it — they said I must make sure my own security is intact,” Spies told the commission.

Spies said he now lives a reclusive life with his family and has received further online threats since his testimony began last Friday, with individuals claiming to know his address and warning him to “watch his back.”

Spies is expected to return to the witness stand on Tuesday.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao