THE UNTOUCHABLE’ FALLS: Controversial Suspended EMPD Chief Mkhwanazi Arrested, Hits Rock Bottom as Madlanga Task Team Moves In

Controversial suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi, long whispered to be protected by powerful handlers, was arrested at his Gauteng home on Saturday morning by the SAPS Madlanga Commission Task Team.

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief

The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.  

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EKURHULENI — Once dubbed “the untouchable” inside Ekurhuleni’s corridors of power, controversial suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi has hit rock bottom.

Mkhwanazi, long whispered to be protected by powerful handlers, was arrested at his Gauteng home on Saturday morning by the SAPS Madlanga Commission Task Team.

The man who for years moved through scandals without consequence now faces charges of fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice.

“The official was arrested this morning at his home in Gauteng,” SAPS confirmed in a statement. “The Task Team is still searching for other suspects linked to the case. These arrests emanate from an ongoing investigation into corruption within the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department.”

For those who have followed Ekurhuleni politics, the arrest is seismic. Mkhwanazi’s rise through the ranks of the EMPD was dogged by allegations, internal probes, and whispers of political shielding. Each time, he survived. Each time, the files went cold. Until now.

Inside the EMPD, Mkhwanazi earned the nickname “the untouchable” — not for his crime-fighting record, but for his ability to outlast investigations. Junior officers spoke of him in hushed tones. Whistleblowers who tried to report irregularities found themselves transferred, suspended, or facing disciplinary charges of their own.

“Everyone knew you don’t touch Julius,” a former EMPD insider told The Azanian on condition of anonymity. “He had handlers. When questions came, phones would ring and the questions would stop. Until the Madlanga Commission came, he was bulletproof.”

That protection collapsed on Saturday. The Madlanga Commission Task Team, a specialised SAPS unit created to act on the commission’s findings, executed a warrant of arrest at dawn. Mkhwanazi was taken into custody without incident.

Sources say the once-brazen deputy chief was “shocked” when officers arrived.

The charges are grave. Fraud. Corruption. Defeating the ends of justice. The third count is particularly damning — prosecutors use it when they believe a suspect actively tried to hide, destroy, or manipulate evidence to obstruct investigations.

Mkhwanazi’s descent played out in public. On 3 December 2025, he appeared before the Madlanga Commission as the suspended acting head of the EMPD. He denied all wrongdoing, telling commissioners he had “always acted in the interests of the department and the people of Ekurhuleni.”

But the commission wasn’t convinced. Evidence leaders poked holes in his testimony, especially around EMPD procurement and fleet contracts. The commission’s interim report later flagged a “pattern of irregular decision-making and manipulation of internal controls” inside the department. It stopped short of naming Mkhwanazi publicly, but recommended criminal dockets be opened against “senior and executive level officials.”

The Task Team spent the months since building those dockets. Forensic auditors combed through four years of EMPD contracts — vehicles, security, specialised equipment. The paper trail, sources say, led straight to Mkhwanazi’s office. The man once protected by handlers could not be protected from bank records, emails, and invoices.

The biggest question in Ekurhuleni today: where are Mkhwanazi’s handlers? 

For years, attempts to discipline or suspend him stalled. Internal investigations were shut down. Councillors who asked too many questions were told to “leave policing to the police.” The assumption was always that Mkhwanazi had political cover that ran high.

On Saturday, that cover evaporated. No phone call stopped the Task Team. No intervention delayed the handcuffs. The unit reports directly to national SAPS command, deliberately structured to bypass local loyalties.

For the first time, “the untouchable” found there was no one left to call.

“The handlers have gone quiet,” said a senior city official. “When the Madlanga Commission started biting, the protection stopped. Now he’s on his own.”

While the full charge sheet will only be tabled in court, The Azanian understands the case centres on EMPD procurement. At issue are contracts for fleet management, private security augmentation, and equipment supply. The commission previously heard evidence of “ghost services” — companies paid for work never done — and inflated invoices signed off at executive level.

Defeating the ends of justice suggests prosecutors believe Mkhwanazi did more than just sign. They believe he acted to cover tracks: documents that disappeared, internal audits that were stifled, witnesses who were pressured. If proven, it transforms the case from corruption to a deliberate obstruction of accountability.

SAPS said more arrests are coming. “The Task Team is still searching for other suspects linked to the case,” the statement read. At least two other EMPD officials and one service provider are understood to be on the radar. Investigators believe they formed part of the network that kept “the untouchable” protected.

Mkhwanazi’s arrest leaves the EMPD in crisis. The department has not had a permanent chief in over 18 months. Mkhwanazi was acting head before his suspension. His removal now creates a vacuum at the top of a 3,000-strong force tasked with by-law enforcement, traffic, and crime prevention support in one of Gauteng’s most volatile metros.

Residents are asking how a man facing such serious allegations stayed in position so long. The answer, for many, lies in that nickname: untouchable. Protected. Handled.

That era is over. On Saturday, the man who once shrugged off probes was fingerprinted, processed, and locked up. He is expected in court by Monday, where the state will oppose bail.

The Madlanga Commission was set up to do what others could not — pierce the veil of protection around powerful municipal officials. With Mkhwanazi’s arrest, it has claimed its biggest scalp yet in Ekurhuleni.

For years, he was the man who couldn’t be touched. Today, he is the man in a holding cell, waiting for his first court appearance, with the state preparing to argue he must stay behind bars.

The handlers are silent. The protection is gone. For the controversial suspended EMPD deputy chief once dubbed “the untouchable,” Saturday was rock bottom.