BREAKING: NET CLOSING — SUSPENDED EMPD CHIEF JULIUS MKHWANAZI ARRESTED... AGAIN

IPID nabs top cop and 4 others over brutal 2022 murder of Emmanuel Mbense. "Tortured to death" and dumped in Duduza dam, investigators allege...

Handcuffs for a chief: Julius Mkhwanazi, once top cop in Ekurhuleni, arrives at Brakpan police station to face allegations he helped bury a 2022 murder. Photo: Iavan Pijoos/News24

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief

The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.  

AZANIAFROCOMEDIA – The Catalyst of Impact

BRAKPAN — The net is closing. Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi has been arrested. Again.

On Wednesday, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) swooped and arrested Mkhwanazi and four co-accused over the brutal 2022 killing of Emmanuel Mbense — a case that has put the EMPD and SAPS under a harsh spotlight.

The five suspects were taken to Brakpan police station for processing and are expected to face charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.

Investigators allege Mbense was tortured to death in 2022 by a group that included members of SAPS, EMPD, and private civilians. 

His body was later dumped at Spaarwater Dam in Duduza, Nigel, Ekurhuleni.

The case exploded into national attention after explosive testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry allegedly linked law enforcement officials to Mbense’s killing.

Authorities allege Mbense became a suspect in a business robbery in Boksburg North, prompting a police raid on his home on 14 April 2022. 

He disappeared that same day. His body was found a day later.

This marks Mkhwanazi’s fourth arrest, but he remains suspended and subject to ongoing disciplinary proceedings within the EMPD. He is currently out on bail.

Among those arrested with him are:  

- Keisha Leigh Stols - former EMPD officer  

- Adrian Mackenzie - suspended EMPD officer  

Both Stols and Mackenzie already face separate robbery and theft charges. They are also implicated in a precious stones theft case involving Mkhwanazi.

IPID has described the arrests as a significant breakthrough in a probe that alleges senior law enforcement officials were involved not only in the murder, but in efforts to cover it up.

The case has raised serious questions about criminal conduct inside police structures in Ekurhuleni.Mkhwanazi and his co-accused are expected to appear in court soon. This is a developing story.