Kemi Behari denies trying to help absolve Julius Mkhwanazi of fraud

Suspended Ekurhuleni head of legal service Kemi Behari says he never cleared embattled metro police chief Julius Mkhwanazi on allegations of fraud and corruption. This contradicts evidence presented by former city managerImogen Mashazi, who told the commission that the city could not charge Mkhwanazi based on the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s (Ipid’s) report because their legal department believed the charges were not sustainable. “I have never cleared [Mkhwanazi]; no one ever cleared [Mkhwanazi].

I didn’t give such advice to the city manager [Mashazi],” Behari said. In a letter drafted by the Ekurhuleni legal department intended to respond to Ipid’s findings, which recommended that Mkhwanazi be disciplined, the city said the findings were vague. Behari and suspended head of human resources Linda Gxasheka are accused of working with former municipal manager Mashazi to ensure Mkhwanazi was exonerated. Behari andMashazihave denied the allegations before the commission while Gxasheka is yet to appear before the commission probing allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system.