Boksburg: Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi and Ekurhuleni Municipal Manager Kagiso Lerutla have made their appearance in the Boksburg Magistrates' Court, where they face serious allegations including corruption, fraud, and defeating the ends of justice. The court appearance follows their arrests over the weekend.
According to South African Government News Agency, the State alleges that both Mkhwanazi and Lerutla acted with a common purpose in March 2019 to unlawfully evade court proceedings. Lerutla, who had been arrested for speeding, was obligated to appear before the Boksburg Magistrates' Court. Instead, it is alleged that the duo recruited and paid a third party to impersonate Lerutla in court while he attended a job interview. This third party allegedly used Lerutla's personal details to complete diversion documentation under false pretenses. The State claims that the accused shared a gratification of approximately R400,000 for orchestrating this scheme, as stated by National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.
The case has been postponed to Thursday, allowing time for formal bail applications to be made.
In a related matter, the case involving alleged criminal mastermind Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala and 15 others has been postponed to next month at the Pretoria Magistrates' Court. The postponement is to finalize consultations and allow Matlala to provide instructions to his attorney. The court has agreed to the State's request to detain Matlala at Kgosi Mampuru until these consultations are completed, as reported by Investigating Directorate against Corruption spokesperson, Henry Mamothame.
Matlala and his co-accused are charged with corruption, fraud, and Contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The charges pertain to the alleged irregular awarding of a contract valued at approximately R228 million to Medicare 24, a company owned by Matlala, according to Mamothame.