Suspended EMPD deputy chief Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi was arrested for the fourth time today. The net is closing around a murder probe after the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) arrested suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and four co-accused over the brutal 2022 killing of Emmanuel Mbense. The arrests, carried out on Wednesday, mark a significant breakthrough in a case that has cast a harsh spotlight on alleged criminal conduct involving law enforcement officials.
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. Investigators allege Mbense was tortured to death in 2022 by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), the EMPD and private civilians before his body was dumped at Spaarwater Dam in Duduza, Nigel, Ekurhuleni. The case drew national attention after explosive testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry allegedly linked law enforcement officials to Mbense’s killing.
Authorities further allege Mbense became a suspect in a business robbery in Boksburg North, prompting a police raid on his home on April 14, 2022. He disappeared the same day, and his body was discovered a day later. Among those arrested are former EMPD officer Keisha Leigh Stols and suspended EMPD officer Adrian Mackenzie, who already face robbery and theft charges.
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These suspects are also implicated in a separate precious stones theft case involving Mkhwanazi. Despite this being Mkhwanazi’s fourth arrest, he is still subject to ongoing disciplinary proceedings within the EMPD.
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