Retired Ekurhuleni City Manager Dr. Imogen Mashazi wrapped up her testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday morning, admitting under intense cross-examination that she failed to exercise proper oversight over the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD). Her concessions came as a video of an EMPD march was screened, highlighting internal divisions tied to a 2020 drunk-driving incident allegedly involving suspended EMPD Chief Isaac Mapiyeye, in which a minor reportedly died.
Commissioner Advocate Sesi Baloyi pressed Mashazi on her inaction despite awareness of Mapiyeye’s alleged favoritism toward select officers and serious misconduct claims dating back to 2016, including sexual harassment, rape accusations, and coercing subordinates—whom he purportedly called his “angels”—into relations for promotions. Baloyi challenged: “You’ve just confirmed you were aware of this in 2020… Why didn’t you lay a complaint? Because your answer is, I couldn’t discipline him, because there was no written complaint, but you are the City Manager.”
Mashazi replied candidly: “Let me concede that I failed to discipline the chief of police and I failed to do an oversight on him as an HOD.” She attributed the lapses to a lack of formal complaints, opting instead for an “empowerment programme” to support female officers—a measure Commission Chair Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga dismissed as insufficient, accusing her of “sitting with folded arms.” Mashazi also drew criticism for not recalling her September 2024 appointment of acting EMPD Chief Julius Mkhwanazi—despite records confirming it—and for ignoring a 2023 IPID report recommending action against him over the “blue lights” scandal involving misuse of municipal vehicles and ties to alleged crime figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Her testimony, marked by moments of apparent frustration—including scrolling on her phone and quipping about suffering a “stroke” from the pressure—has sparked widespread condemnation on social media for perceived arrogance. Activists, via the Activists and Citizens Forum, called for Judge Madlanga to enforce stricter decorum, questioning how such behavior reflected on her municipal governance.
Mchunu’s Turn: Task Team Disbandment Under Fire
Shifting focus, suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is scheduled to testify at 2 p.m. Tuesday, facing allegations of unlawfully disbanding the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) on December 31, 2024. Placed on leave in July 2025 after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused him of obstructing probes into powerful figures linked to political assassinations, Mchunu maintains he briefed President Cyril Ramaphosa, who endorsed the move to redirect resources from KZN to broader national priorities like Cape Flats violence.
Witnesses, including alleged crime intelligence operative Brown Mogotsi, have testified that only National Police Commissioner Gen. Fannie Masemola held authority to dissolve the PKTT, and Mchunu’s action allegedly shielded syndicates, including Matlala’s network. Mchunu, who appeared before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee in October, denied interference and expressed readiness to “have his say.” Analysts like Levy Ndou emphasize South Africans deserve unvarnished truth, amid claims of Mchunu’s ties to corruption.
The commission, probing criminality, political meddling, and corruption in the justice system, aims to conclude public hearings by Friday, December 5, for an interim report to Ramaphosa by December 17. Mkhwanazi (EMPD) is slated for later this week.