By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi was back at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College in Tshwane on Wednesday, 24 June 2026.
His appearance comes hours after explosive evidence linked him to the theft of precious stones worth R14.9-million.
Witness K, a Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) inspector attached to the Important Persons Unit, told the commission that after Kesher-Lee Stols, EMPD Constable Norman McKenzie and civilian Eitiaan van der Walt removed the stones from a Killarney property, Stols contacted her and requested a meeting.
She testified that the group met in Cyrildene, Johannesburg, at the home of a friend of informant, Jango Sermon.
Witness K also told the commission that her romantic relationship with Mkhwanazi, which she said began in late 2022, ended shortly after the incident and they have not been in contact since.
She testified that after she first informed Mkhwanazi about the alleged stones before they were stolen, he became increasingly persistent, urging her to obtain more information while he assembled a team to act on the intelligence.
Witness K said she expected Mkhwanazi and his team to proceed to the property to verify the information and forcibly remove the stones from their owner.
She further testified that while Mkhwanazi was serving a suspension in 2023 during his tenure as an EMPD director, he frequently borrowed money from her, beginning just two months into their relationship.
She told the commission she also assisted with school fees for Mkhwanazi’s children.
Witness K said she eventually reached a point where she could no longer provide financial assistance, as her own financial obligations had become overwhelming and had depleted her savings.
Mkhwanazi rejected the claims, saying Witness K’s version of events was incorrect. He maintained that the recovery of the stones formed part of a joint police operation with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), and that the stones were handed over to a police station after being seized.
“I deny anything that has to do with money. There is no way that I will stand here and say the stones were taken and they are somewhere and they have been taken by somebody in the city of Johannesburg because I even submitted my statement,” said Mkhwanazi.
Mkhwanazi also testified that a police clearance certificate issued to alleged underworld figure, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, for use as a peacekeeping officer, is fraudulent.
The commission heard evidence from the South African Police Service (SAPS), which outlined security features of a legitimate Police Clearance Certificate (PCC). According to the affidavit, each certificate is assigned a unique reference number when an application is registered and a transaction number when it is printed, and the two must correspond.
However, the certificate linked to Matlala contained discrepancies between the reference and transaction numbers. Investigators found that the reference number was linked to a different transaction issued to another individual on 19 August 2021.
After the affidavit was presented, Mkhwanazi conceded that the certificate appeared to be fraudulent.
The commission also heard that the reference number on Matlala’s certificate does not exist in the SAPS system and does not match with the transaction number, suggesting that no application was ever processed.
Mkhwanazi turned his frustration toward the commission itself, accusing it of selective scrutiny and failing to subject other EMPD witnesses to the same level of examination.
Retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, who chairs the inquiry, pushed back on the criticism.
He also reiterated his denial of any involvement in the kidnapping of EMPD spokesperson Kelebogile Thepa.
Mkhwanazi has concluded his testimony at the commission.
Meanwhile controversial businessman Suleiman Carrim will no longer appear at the Commission on Thursday after claiming to be in poor health.
Carrim’s legal team has informed the commission that he is currently unwell.
The commission’s spokesperson, Jeremy Michaels, said the commission will consider Carrim’s claims of ill health when proceedings resume.
“The last time Carrim was meant to appear before the commission, he couldn’t due to ill health. It seems his condition persists. As far as tomorrow’s proceedings are concerned, we will deal with Carrim’s matter tomorrow morning.”