The City of Ekurhuleni Mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, has vowed to leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of corruption allegations levelled against high-ranking officials of the City’s Metro Police Department (EMPD). The officials including suspended Deputy EMPD Chief Julius Mkhwanazi, were implicated in wrongdoing and various criminal activities at the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria. During a media briefing on Wednesday, Xhakazi revealed that a team would be assembled to investigate all the allegations coming from the commission. Another process that is expected to take place is the review of a total of 55 promotions that were made by Mkhwanazi. “The report on this is due in seven days’ time. I am sure that at the next council meeting we will be able to give account. If it is found that the promotions or appointments lack documents of justification or were not done on merit bases, corrective measures will be implemented without hesitation. We will not allow political influence in the metro’s law enforcement appointments,” said Xhakaza. He adds that a preliminary report on the overall internal investigation should be concluded in the next 30 days. Meanwhile, findings into the non-vetted 275 officers will be issued in 21 days. The mayor said a technical team has been established to monitor and analyse all the evidence presented at the ongoing Commission. As this continues, the Metro will act where necessary. Xhakaza said this is to restore public trust and combat any misuse of authority. He highlighted that while they support the work of the Commission, they cannot wait for it to conclude its inquiry to respond to the damning allegations against EMPD.
