By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Police Chief Julius Mkhwanazi and four others arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of Emmanuel Mbense.
Mbense was tortured to death in 2022 by members of the EMPD; South African Police Service (SAPS), and private civilians before his body was dumped at Spaarwater Dam in Duduza, Nigel, Ekurhuleni.
The five suspects are expected to face charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice after being taken to the Brakpan police station for processing.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) confirmed on Wednesday that it had arrested five suspects, including members of the EMPD, the SAPS and a private citizen.
IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping said the arrests followed the completion of a lengthy investigation into the killing.
“IPID today arrested five suspects implicated in the alleged murder of Emmanuel Mbense in April 2022. The suspects face charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice. They played a role in the murder, the dumping of his body at Spaarwater Dam in Duduza, Nigel, and failing to report a crime,” Suping said.
According to Suping, Mbense had been implicated in a business robbery in Boksburg, prompting a police raid at his home on 14 April 2022. He disappeared on the day of the raid, and his body was discovered by a passerby at Spaarwater Dam the following day.
The murder became one of the most explosive issues before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry after protected Witness D, later identified as former EMPD officer and security company owner Marius van der Merwe, testified that Mbense was assaulted, tortured and later disposed of after an operation involving law enforcement officials.
Van der Merwe alleged that he was instructed to assist in disposing of Mbense’s body after the killing and linked senior officers, including Mkhwanazi, to the cover-up. Mkhwanazi denied ordering Mbense’s killing or the dumping of his body when he later testified before the commission.
Just weeks after giving his evidence, Van der Merwe was shot dead outside his Brakpan home in December 2025 in what authorities described as a targeted killing.
His death drew widespread condemnation and renewed concerns about the safety of witnesses cooperating with the commission. President Cyril Ramaphosa described his testimony as courageous, while rights groups warned that the killing could intimidate other whistleblowers.
Meanwhile Mkhwanazi’s Wednesday arrest brings the number of cases he is facing to four.
Last month, the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court granted him bail of R5000. His former romantic partner, a Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer identified as Witness K, was also granted R5 000 bail. He remains out on bail of R50 000 and R30 000 in those respective cases.